


Come Back Alive

by kwrites2222



Series: Kate Shepard [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 24
Words: 46,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5546582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwrites2222/pseuds/kwrites2222
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard throughout ME2 + ME3, serious Garrus romance fluff throughout, I re-wrote major dialogue scenes and added some of my own through the viewpoints of different people in the crew and Shepard and Garrus, of course. My first fan fic work!<br/>Spoilers, swear words, and general fluff throughout each Chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins… (or: That One Time Kelly Chambers Actually Contributed)

**Author's Note:**

> I play with the dialogue/storyline a bit here, so no hate if it’s not “exactly” the same!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly Chambers may not have fed my fish, but in this universe, she planted the Shakarian seed.

He could hear two female voices speaking loudly in the lounge as he neared it; one was obviously Shepard, and the other… maybe Miranda? No; too high-pitched for Miranda. He stepped towards the door and was about to hit the entry button when he suddenly recognized the other voice: Kelly Chambers.

 _Shit_. Garrus stopped his hand mid-air and froze. Kelly Chambers had been after him the minute that he woke up aboard the Normandy. He’d been sleeping in the main battery and locking the door when he slept just to be sure that he wouldn’t wake up and find her standing over him.

He put his ear to the door.

“Was it hard to see Kaidan on Horizon?” Kelly was asking Shepard.

Ugh. Talk of Kaidan. First that horrible encounter that he’d had to witness back on Horizon, and now Kelly was sticking her little nose in it. Shepard was obviously hurting; couldn’t everyone see it? Garrus sighed, at war with himself over whether to leave or stay listening in to the conversation.

He heard Shepard let out a loud sigh, “It was and it wasn’t.”

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

Garrus found himself pressing his ear harder against the door.

“No. It’s over. If he was really in love with me, then he’d have believed me. He wouldn’t have turned his back on me.”

There was a pause, and his heart beat faster in his chest. Shepard sounded hurt, sure, but her voice was laced with poison and anger. Maybe a hint of vengeance? He couldn’t walk away now.

“I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”

“I guess so. But he’s not the only man in the galaxy, and I'm not particularly concerned with that right now.”

“Or on the ship…” Kelly’s voice had a mischievous tone to it.

Shepard picked up on it. “What are you getting at?”

“I’m sorry, Commander. It’s much too bold of me to say. I should mind my own business.”

Garrus almost laughed. The likelihood of Kelly Chambers not sticking her nose into anybody’s business was slim to none, regardless of whether she spoke to Shepard about it or not.

“No. Tell me, Chambers,” Shepard said, her voice low.

“Well, you told me that you’re often told that you need to loosen up. I’m sure you could find a willing partner somewhere…”

“Uh, I’m not into… uh, I like men, Kelly.”

“No, no! That’s not what I was saying. It’s just… wouldn’t you want to have a little _fun_ now and again?”

Oh, how he wished that he could see Shepard’s face right now. He could just imagine the shock, and the awkward tension was spilling out of the room and under the door.

“Well…” Shepard started cautiously, “Even Aria T’Loak told me to loosen up… but, come on. I… don’t want to talk about this.”

Kelly wasn’t giving up, “Come on, Commander. What are you looking for in a partner? What did Kaidan have that attracted you to him in the first place?”

Shepard laughed, “More like what he didn’t have. I always felt like he was judging me… I mean, he’d nod and smile and agree, but then I’d need to be prepared for a lecture about my ‘style’ and how careless I am. And, oh… well, I don’t know… I guess I just felt like he never had my back. Like he was always looking out for himself.”

“I know what that’s like. So, you need a guy who supports you, trusts your judgment, and always has your back?”

“For starters, yeah. And I’d like to have something in common with him, too, you know? Not just that we both fight the good fight.”

Garrus stirred. Shepard was being open and vulnerable… something that he hadn’t seen her do so freely before. But, Kelly was a trained psychologist after all... it was wrong of him to be listening in to something that could be interpreted as a doctor-patient session, but something just wasn’t allowing him to walk away.

“Hmmm,” Kelly mused, “Permission to speak freely, Commander?”

He settled in against the door once more. This was gonna be good.

“Go ahead,” Shepard replied.

“As you know, I have read through the personal dossiers of each of your team, and I observe them frequently…”

Garrus almost choked on his own laugh as it came up again. _Observing_? That’s what she called it? He’d pick a different word, like _stalking_.

“… and I observe their interactions with each other and, of course, with you. And there is one person on the team that I’ve thought would make a great partner for you.”

“Do tell.” He could sense the amusement in Shepard’s voice.

“Garrus.”

He should’ve left then. He should’ve just gone straight back to the main battery and finished his calibrations, but now he was completely committed to hearing Shepard’s response. His head told him to leave, but his heart – hammering fiercely in his chest – was begging him to stay.

“ _Garrus_?” came Shepard’s reply. “What?”

“You can’t tell me that you’ve never thought about it.”

“Well… I… uh, I mean…”

“You have, haven’t you?”

There was another pause: had Shepard nodded?

Kelly squealed, “See? Even _you_ think it would be a good idea!”

“Hey, I didn’t actually say that. Why the hell do _you_ think it would be a good idea?”

His heart was pounding so hard he was sure that they’d be able to hear it through the walls.

“Well, I’ve observed the way that you are around each other. He stands close to you when you speak, which indicates that you both have a high level of comfort around each other.”

“He’s my best friend,” Shepard interjected.

“He also calls you ‘Shepard’ or ‘Kate’ more often than ‘Commander’, which means that, while he respects you, he ultimately sees himself as equal to you. And, the fact that he is one of maybe three people on the ship that actually knows your proper name and calls you by it…”

“He’s my best friend,” Shepard said again. This time her voice was more assertive, but it wavered on the last word.

“And,” Kelly continued, not missing a beat, “when you joke with him or bump up against him, he rubs the back of his neck – a signal of sexual tension or desire common in most species. Except the hanar and the elcor… I can never figure out their mating signals…”

“Kelly!”

“Sorry, Commander. I’m being too bold… it’s just when I get talking about this kind of stuff… well, it’s fascinating.”

“I appreciate the, uh, input, Kelly. And how did _you_ find out my first name?”

“I read your file. I felt that it was my right as your yeoman.”

He nearly fell over. Was Kelly Chambers _right_? He stood outside the door, staring at his feet. His hand reached up to rub the back of his neck, but he suddenly yanked it down. Shepard… his best friend?

“Of course you did,” came Shepard’s voice, effectively snapping him out of it.

“So, what do you think? I mean, he did ask you for help with Sidonis. I doubt that he would have wanted anyone else with him. And you talked him down – how many others do you think could do that?”

Garrus’s mandibles clicked so loudly he was sure that they’d know he was there, eavesdropping. Kelly was… right. There was no one else that he could think of that he’d have opened up to about what happened with Sidonis. There was no one else that he’d ever ask for help from. There was no one else that he’d ever let talk him out of something like that. There was no one else but… Shepard.

A sigh came from inside the room. He assumed it was Shepard. “I guess… I guess you’re right, Kelly. I just never really thought about it.”

“Look, Commander, it may just be my overly-romanticized theories and, in the end, it is just speculation. But, I’ve learned to trust my gut over the years. And my gut is telling me that there’s something more there between you two.”

Another sigh. Definitely Shepard. “No, you’re right.”

His ears rang and his heart was now threatening to either hammer it’s way out of his chest or up his throat and run away.

Shepard continued, “I need to… think about this for awhile. Either you’re filling my head with thoughts or this has always been in the back of my mind.”

“That’s not what I was trying to do, Commander. Part of being a psychologist is to help bring things to the surface. Maybe that’s just what we’ve done here?”

“I guess. Should I speak to him?”

Part of him was certain that Kelly was beaming with excitement from Shepard treating her as more than just a yeoman; this was like a conversation among good friends.

“That’s up to you, Commander.”

“It’s just… maybe the reason I never thought about anything more with Garrus is because I’m afraid of losing him. We have such a great friendship, and he always – always – has my six. It’s come to the point where I don’t even need to speak to him anymore in the field. He just gets it.”

“But…”

“ _But_ I’d hate to lose the chance to explore something more, too, I guess.”

Kelly squealed again, “If you do end up talking to him and you two decide to go for it, will you please come and fill me in? It would really help me…”

“Help you what, exactly?”

“Well, I’ve been keeping notes on the different alien-human interactions on the ship. If I could write about alien-human relationships… well, maybe I could publish it one day.”

Shepard sputtered, “Um, no. This isn’t an issue of 'Dear Fornax'.”

“Suit yourself.”

He heard Shepard stand up and footsteps walked towards the door. He shot back, paralyzed.

“I suppose I should check on the Thanix Cannon or something,” Shepard announced, her voice odd and awkward.

“Have fun,” came Kelly’s teasing reply.

Garrus didn’t have time to hear if Shepard replied. He’d bolted through the mess towards the battery so quickly he doubted Gardner had even noticed. He figured he had maybe two minutes before…

The door clicked open behind him and he crouched over the console, pretending to be calibrating. He tried to slow his breathing and be nonchalant as he turned to face her.

“Shepard. Need me for something?”


	2. Yeah. Definitely. (Or: Flex and Flexibility)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter one, mostly retelling of the main battery scene where Shepard propositions Garrus. Some dialogue directly taken from the game, filled in with some of Garrus’ awkward thoughts.

Shepard stood at the door, hands behind her back. Kate always had a certain ‘I’m-an-Alliance-Commander-and-this-is- _my_ -ship’ look to her, no matter what she wanted to talk about.

She had an aloof look on her face, too; the same one that she used whenever she made her rounds and came down to see him. If it weren’t for his visor signalling her increased heart rate and body temperature, he’d never had known that anything was different. And, of course, the conversation that he'd... overheard.

 _Damn_. How could she be so cool? If his hands could become clammy, then they would be at that very moment. Garrus turned and stared at her, trying to remain aloof himself, but his heart was pounding hard again. He leaned against the console casually and it slowed his heart rate a bit. But only a bit.

“Have you got a minute?” she asked.

“Sure, just killing time anyway,” he said, trying to mimic her composure. “I wanted to thank you again for your help with Sidonis. Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or… whoever else comes after us, I know you’ll get the job done.”

“I couldn’t do this without you, Garrus.”

 _Damn._ He was even more relieved that she wasn’t wearing a visor. He was sure that his blood pressure was completely off the charts.

“Of course you could. Not as stylishly, of course,” he joked. So _this_ was what humans meant when they talked about using humour as a crutch.

Shepard walked over towards the crate on the right side of the room slowly and sat down.

He watched her nervously, “It’s strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don’t prepare for high-risk operations the way turians do.”

He’d only said it to avoid any kind of awkward silence, but before he knew it, they were reminiscing about their mission to Ilos, she was asking him questions about C-Sec, he’d admitted his doubt in himself as a ‘good’ turian, and he’d overshared too much about a tiebreaker he’d had with a female turian recon scout. Of course he’d had to go and turn the conversation around the that, but how could he help it after overhearing Shepard’s conversation with Kelly?

It was something in the way she shook her head and in the way her mouth began to curve slightly upwards that made his nerves kick into high gear.

“It sounds like you’re carrying some tension. Maybe I could help you get rid of it.”

He knew what she meant the minute she said it, but he decided to play dumb. If Shepard was really serious about _him_ and not just using him to forget Alenko, then he had to know.

“I, uh, didn’t think you’d feel like sparring, Commander.”

She seemed unfazed by him using formal terms as she walked towards him, her green eyes shining in the dim lighting. She leaned with her back to the console, “What if we skipped right to the tiebreaker? We could test your reach and my flexibility.”

Garrus wasn’t entirely sure why, but relief flooded through him like adrenaline. Well, adrenaline was also flooding through him, too, so when he blurted, “Oh… I didn’t… hmm. Didn’t know you had a thing for men with scars.”

But Kate was looking at him with anticipation. Maybe a certain cockiness to it, but he knew her well enough to know the uneasiness behind the mask. It was as if she was afraid of rejection.

She wasn’t going to find it here, though.

“Well, why the hell not?” he said, the adrenaline making him bold, “There’s nobody in this galaxy that I respect more than you, so if we can find a way to make it work then… yeah. Definitely.”

He could see the relief wash over her, even slightly. She walked past him, not saying a word, letting him watch her leave.

 _Damn_.


	3. Figuring Out Where We Stand (Or: Mordin Gets Protective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordin takes the chance to give Garrus words of encouragement and a not-so-subtle warning when Shepard's off-ship.

That damn Collector ship. When Shepard had asked him to join her shore party he’d readily agreed, mostly because he wanted to kick some Collector ass, but also because he was invested in her safety as more than just a friend now. He’d always had her six, and though he’d always been willing to lay down his life for hers, now… it just seemed that much _more_.

So, when she’d stormed through a sea of husks towards the shuttle and he’d lost visual on her, he’d forgotten to breathe. His muscles were aching as he sprinted after her, searching desperately for the blue lights on the back of her helmet. He’d wanted to shake her when he found her at the shuttle door, picking off husks with her pistol. But then she’d smiled at him as they climbed aboard, and he’d completely forgotten why he was upset… for a minute.

“Hey, Shepard? You got a minute?” Garrus asked when they stepped out into the shuttle bay.

She looked at him curiously, but nodded and jutted her chin to the right towards a dark corner away from the shuttle and any prying eyes.

“What’s up?” she asked, taking her helmet off.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Kate… after Horizon, we didn’t get to talk much about _you_. We talked about me and, uh, about… you know… us. But, uh, I never asked you how you were doing.”

Shepard gaped at him. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking me.”

“You charged head first into a wall of husks back there. You just... ran ahead. I lost visual on you. What were you thinking?”

She stiffened but didn’t say anything.

“Look, Alenko was an asshole back on Horizon. You didn’t deserve that from him. And if you’re taking the whole suicide part of this mission that seriously then, well, I’m worried about you. I… Shepard… I…”

A sudden touch of her finger to his lips silenced him, and he looked down at her. Her green eyes were soft and tender. Thoughtful.

“I know that my methods are a little… crazy, but husks don’t frighten me. Actually, it was a bit of stress release. And it’s not because I’m still hung up on Kaidan or distracted by him. I just hate these bastards so goddamn much. And after seeing the inside of that _ship_ ,” she spat, “it just fueled my hate for them that much more.”

Garrus averted his eyes. He understood hatred and he understood overkill. But this wasn’t Shepard.

She moved closer to him and grabbed his hands intimately. “Besides,” she murmured, “you’ve always got my six. What do I have to worry about with you at my back?”

It was so tender that he wanted nothing more than to reach down and embrace her, but now wasn’t the time or place. Plus, he could feel the prying eyes of one of the engineers working on the shuttle, and he wasn’t about to give the already rampant scuttlebutt any more fodder. In the unspoken language that they’d so finely tuned between them, he nodded in the direction of the engineer. She gave him an acknowledging nod and backed away from him, releasing her tender hold on his hands, but leaving him with the sensation of her warm touch.

“Just… be careful,” he whispered.

_You scared me today._

Shepard smiled up at him.

_Don’t worry._

“I should get back to the, uh, main battery.”

“I’ll come see you later.”

He tilted his head at her and clicked his mandibles against the side of his face nervously.

_I’ll hold you to that._

***

“Never thought I’d see you in a dress, Shep.”

“Holy shit, Kasumi! How long have you been standing there?” Shepard exclaimed.

“About as long as you’ve been standing in front of that mirror staring at yourself,” Kasumi Goto laughed as she materialized behind Shepard, “What’s the running minute count now? Ten? Twenty?”

Shepard laughed nervously, “Shut it. Just not used to wearing such constricting clothing, that’s all.”

“I think you look great. Hot, even.”

“Thanks.”

“Has Garrus seen you yet?”

Shepard turned and stared at her, crossing her arms over her chest. “What did you just say?”

Kasumi gave her a sly smile. “I bet he’d love to see you in it… or, even better: out of it.”

“Kasumi…”

The master thief threw her hands in the air. “Just repeating what I’ve heard! People talk out there, and I hear it all. Rumour is that he _really_ likes you. I say… go for it! Especially in that dress. There are a lot of people rooting for you two to get together.”

Shepard felt herself blush. “Yeah?”

“Ah, I see.”

“What?”

“You’ve already gone for it.”

Shepard turned back to the mirror, unable to hide her flaming cheeks. “I’ve… set things in motion.”

Kasumi fist-pumped the air. “I knew it! I’ve seen the way you two are around each other. Tell me, have you _always_ loved him, or was it that little encounter with your former flame back on Horizon that made you run to Garrus?”

“Kaidan had nothing to do with this.”

“So, you’ve always loved the turian, then?”

“You know, I always wondered _exactly_ why the Alliance had such strict regs about fraternization, but I’m pretty sure that I just found out why.”

Kasumi giggled, “Just teasing you, Shep. I can’t resist. It’s nice that you’ve found love with someone you trust. That’s… rare.” Her expression darkened. “Don’t waste it.”

Shepard patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. “I don’t plan to. He’s important to me. Like you said: I’ve probably always been in love with him.”

“The turian thing doesn’t bother you?” Kasumi asked, absentmindedly playing with Shepard’s hair.

“The _turian thing_?”

“I mean… he’s an _alien_. I have no problem with it, of course, but others might.”

Shepard shrugged. “You should probably know by now that I don’t give a great deal of weight to what others think of me. Except for my crew. I haven’t heard any rumblings, and Kelly keeps a pretty keen ear to the ground. If there was any discontent about it, I'm sure I'd hear about it.”

“I haven’t heard anything negative, either. Have you talked to Garrus about our little side trip?”

“He’s aware pf what it entails, yes.”

“And?”

“And he’s not my boyfriend, my father, or my commanding officer, Kasumi, so he has no say over how I choose to spend my time.”

Kasumi was taken aback. “I’m sorry, Shep. It’s just… I don’t know. I guess I was just attempting to live vicariously through you. It’s been a while since… well, never mind. Are you ready?”

Shepard turned back to the mirror and looked herself up and down. A smile tugged on the corner of her lips. “I was born ready.”

**** 

There was a knock at the door of the main battery and Garrus perked up. It couldn’t be Shepard; she was still ashore dealing with whatever Kasumi had dragged her into. She’d come by in _that_ dress before they’d left and he hadn’t been able to form words. He’d just given her a very approving look, and clacked his mandibles slightly. She’d blushed, squeezed his hand, and then sauntered towards the elevator… purely for his benefit, he was sure.

“Uh, come in?”

“Officer Vakarian?”

Garrus turned away from his calibrations and came face to face with the salarian. “Mordin. What can I do for you?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Officer Vakarian. Very important. Need to talk. Matters that cannot wait.”

“Please, Mordin. Just call me Garrus.”

Mordin blinked at him. “All right. Garrus. Must speak with you now. Before Shepard and Miss Goto return.”

“Okay, Mordin. What can I help you with?”

“Not what you can help me with. What I can help you with.”

Garrus already didn’t like where this was going. “Uh, sure, Mordin. Go ahead.”

“Aware that you are considering a... sexual encounter with the Commander. Wanted to ensure that you were aware of the... repercussions of inter-species liaisons. Reactions can be… problematic.”

“Reactions?”

“Anaphylactic shock possible. For her, most likely. For you there could be other reactions. Discomfort. Chafing. I have brought ointments and oils and lubricants to ensure comfort. May cause mild skin discolouration. For you, not her. Also pre-emptively forwarded useful videos to your omni-tool to indicate positions comfortable for both species. There is a… ahem, diagram in there of human female erogenous zones that can be pleasurable for both. The pilot also gave me this. May be helpful, though I trust science over popular entertainment anyways.”

Garrus stared at the limp magazine that Mordin had shoved into his hands. _Fornax._ This had to be Moreau’s doing.

“Who… uh… who told you?” Garrus managed.

There was a sparkle behind the salarian’s eye as he met Garrus’, but he didn’t say anything.

The sly bastard. “This has Joker written all over it,” Garrus sighed.

Mordin chuckled, but straightened up almost as soon as the laugh left his lips. “I must warn you to exercise caution. Not just for physiological reasons, but emotional, too.”

“What do you mean?”

The professor stepped closer to him, trying his very best to be menacing. “Shepard. I have observed her behaviour while she is with you. She cares for you. Deeply cares for you. She trusts you. Now as more than a comrade. She is important. Your betrayal of this trust could be… problematic.” Mordin’s eyes narrowed, “For you.”


	4. Old Friends Are a Luxury (Or: Why Nobody Ever Shakes Shepard’s Hand)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, playing with the storyline/dialogue a bit.

It was good to see Tali again. Shepard was beginning to create new friendships and alliances, but you just couldn’t beat the simple pleasures of seeing a familiar face. She let the Commander mask slip a bit as she greeted her old friend. If Tali had seen the slip, she didn’t indicate it, but she hugged Shepard back fiercely.

“So, you’ll come with us this time?” Shepard asked, not bothering to disguise the hope in her voice.

“I suppose I have no choice in the matter do I? The geth have killed all of my squad. There’s no one left,” Tali sighed.

“Not all of your squad, ma’am,” came the distinctly quarian voice behind them.

Shepard couldn’t tell if Tali was smiling behind her mask, but something in her body language conveyed joy and utter relief.

“Kal!” Tali cried, rushing down towards the limping marine. “You’re alive!”

“Of course, ma’am. Thanks to Shepard.”

“Please, Kal… Tali, remember?”

He nodded at her. "Of course, ahem, Tali."

Garrus coughed and looked at Shepard.

_We should go. Give them some space._

Shepard nodded at him. “Tali, we’ll wait outside. We can head to the Normandy whenever you’re ready.”

Kal looked at Tali. “You’re leaving?”

“I have to, Kal. Shepard needs me.”

“We’ll… uh, leave you two to it,” Shepard said awkwardly. As the door slid closed behind them, she could hear their voices begin to raise.

“Lover’s quarrel?” Samara mused beside her.

“It sure sounds like it,” Garrus chuckled, “But I like Kal’Reegar. He seems worthy of our Tali.”

Shepard chuckled. “That he does. And he was willing to die for her… it speaks volumes. He must care for her a great deal.”

Samara looked at Shepard and Garrus fondly. “Not unlike two other lovers I know.”

Garrus stared at his feet and the immediately began to fiddle with his weapon. Shepard shuffled her feet awkwardly, but Samara just leaned back against the stone wall of the building and sighed peacefully.

“This planet would not be so bad if the sun did not shine so hotly,” Samara murmured.

“I don’t mind it,” Garrus said, happy for the change in subject, “I mean, until it burns through my shields.”

 _“Hey, Commander. What’s going on down there? Tali coming or what?”_ Joker’s voice came over comms.

“She’s finishing something up right now, Joker. Thought that it would be nice to give her a little time.”

_“Yeah, well, I got EDI to patch me into the open comm line in that room. Whoever she’s talking to isn’t too happy with her. Sounds like a stage five clinger to me, ma’am.”_

Shepard laughed, “It’s not nice to listen in on someone else’s private conversation, Joker.”

_“My new AI friend and I disagree. Respectfully, ma’am.”_

Garrus and Samara looked at her in confusion.

“Stage five… clinger?” Garrus asked, stumbling over the last word.

“It’s a human expression,” Shepard said, “But Joker’s just… well, joking. Kal’Reegar is just being protective. You can’t blame him for that. Although I’m starting to sweat a bit. Samara, we may have to send you in there to separate them.”

Finally, the door opened and Tali and Kal’Reegar walked out. They seemed more relaxed, but the tension was still heavy in the air.

“Ready?” Shepard asked.

Tali nodded and then turned to Kal, hugging him fiercely. “I’ll always come back for you,” she whispered so softly that, if Shepard had been standing further away she wouldn’t have heard it.

Reegar saluted Shepard and Tali. “I hope to see you again soon. Thank you for the help today, Commander. I won’t forget it.”

With one last, longing look at Tali, he limped towards the other side of the building. Tali stared after him and then hung her head.

“Keelah se’lai,” she murmured.

*****

The shuttle was quiet except for the pleasantries exchanged when Tali first climbed aboard. Shepard sat across from her old friend and smiled lazily. It wasn’t that she wasn’t in the mood to chat, but that she was simply exhausted from the heat of Haestrom. Besides, she knew that Tali would want to speak in private about the scene back on the surface with Kal’Reegar. So, they sat there in comfortable silence until they returned to the Normandy.

“Wow,” Tali breathed, looking out the shuttle window at the ship, “Shepard, you’ve got to let me take a look at what this thing’s made of.”

Shepard laughed, “Of course, Tali! I need you to give her a once-over anyways: we’ve got some great engineers, but you’re the best. And I’m sure that you’ll have some ideas on how we can make her even better.”

Tali nodded at her. “Of course.”

The shuttle docked in the bay and they departed the vehicle. Garrus grunted that he’d be in the main battery, and Samara bowed to them before heading off to meditate. Shepard helped Tali down from the shuttle and then walked over to unload her weapons. Tali followed her, taking in the shuttle bay.

“So, what do you think of the SR-2?”

“It’s… bigger,” Tali replied.

Shepard chuckled, “Yes, she’s a bit bigger than the SR-1. A few more features, too. I’ll walk with you to engineering. You have to meet EDI.”

“EDI?” Tali asked, “Who is that? A new engineer?”

 _“I have many functions on this ship, Tali’Zorah,_ ” came EDI’s voice, _“But I would not specify myself as an ‘engineer’. I can assist you with any engineering tasks and will answer all of your questions about the Normandy to the best of my capabilities.”_

Tali stopped in her tracks. “Is that… is that an _AI_?”

Shepard nodded, imagining the shocked look on Tali’s face underneath her helmet.

“Well,” Tali began slowly, “You did say that she had a few more features.”

“Come on. This way to engineering.”

They boarded the elevator and Tali slunk against the wall, a defeated air about her. The doors slid closed and Shepard turned to her, wrapping her in a hug. “Are you all right? What happened?”

“They died because of me, Shepard,” the quarian whispered, her head hung.

“Nobody died because of you. They died because of the Admiralty Board. You had a mission and you saw it through. I’ve… been there.”

“You know me better than anyone else, Shepard. You’re one of the only friends I’ve got left. You know that I’d never put anybody in danger unnecessarily.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You couldn’t have been expecting the geth, though. What were they doing on Haestrom anyway? You think that they’d just be sitting ducks out there with the sun as intense as it was.”

“Sitting ducks?”

“Ah, human expression. I just never thought that the geth would appear somewhere that could fry them simply by just being out in the open.”

Tali chuckled, “The geth go where the Reapers need them to. Thought you’d know that by now.”

“But… wouldn’t they feel pain?”

“They don’t have willpower, Shepard. They’re tools.”

“But…”

Tali held up a hand. “I know what you will say, Shepard. You’ll argue with me that they deserve to be treated just like any other race in the galaxy, but they’re just _tools_ , Shepard… they’re just tools.”

Shepard opened her mouth to protest, but she thought better of it. Instead, she switched to a topic only slightly less uncomfortable, “So, uh… you and Kal’Reegar, huh?”

The quarian looked down at her feet. “Was it obvious?”

“It wouldn’t have been if you didn’t spend ten minutes having an obvious lover’s quarrel back on Haestrom. You want to talk about it?”

“You want to hear about it?”

Shepard patted Tali on the back supportively. “Of course. What are friends for?”

“Keelah… friends. It was so good to see you and Garrus again today. Friends are becoming a rarity in this galaxy.”

“Yeah, even after all we’ve been through, I consider us lucky to have each other.”

“Speaking of which… you and Garrus?”

Shepard blushed. “You’re changing the subject.”

Tali laughed, “You want to talk about it?”

“You want to hear about it?” Shepard retorted.

“I’ll make you a deal, Shepard: you tell me about you and Garrus, and I’ll tell you everything about me and Kal.”

“Deal,” Shepard said, holding out her hand for Tali to shake.

Tali looked at it. “Uh, what do you want me to do with that?”

“Shake it,” Shepard said incredulously.

“Shake it?” Tali asked again, mimicking her tone.

Shepard retracted her hand awkwardly. “Is it just a human thing? You shake hands to solidify deals, or to greet each other.”

“I’ve seen it before, but it is something that is uncommon. At least for quarians anyways – you never know where someone’s hands have been.”

“What about other species?”

“Humans and asari are the only species who have five fingers… well, that we know of,” Tali said thoughtfully, “so I guess your hands are the only ones in the galaxies made for this shaking thing.”

“Ah.”

“What?”

“Well, it makes sense to me now why I’m always left hanging. But even some humans haven’t… okay, be honest with me: is it my hands? I mean, they get clammy every now and then, and they’re not smooth, and I have some callouses and bruises from recoil, but… I mean…”

Tali doubled over in laughter, “Oh, Shepard! I haven’t laughed that hard in what feels like years!”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“And that’s what makes it funny!”

Shepard sighed and looked down at her ragged hands. Maybe she should put in a requisition order with Kelly for some hand lotion. “You know what, Tali? I could use a drink. Want to get acquainted with the bar in the lounge?”

Tali stopped laughing immediately. “You read my mind.” 

**** 

Miranda was stepping out of the women’s restroom when she heard the loud laughter coming from the Port Observation Deck. She could discern Tali and Kasumi’s voices, but the third laugh was not one she recognized.

“Shit. Shepard's not going to like this. They shouldn't be so loud...” Miranda sighed as she walked towards the room.

“Shepard! You haven’t sealed the deal yet!” came Kasumi’s voice.

Miranda stopped in her tracks. _Shepard_ was with them? _Shepard_ was laughing? She walked silently towards the room and leaned towards the door, careful not to hit the sensor.

“Well, not yet,” Shepard’s muted voice said, “We’re waiting for the… uh, calm before the storm. But I don’t want to talk about it. Tali, tell Kasumi what Kal’Reegar said to you.”

“It was actually quite comical,” came the quarian’s voice. “He _tried_ to command me to come with him back to the Fleet. You should have heard him trying to be formidable! It was… I mean, that’s Kal. He’s a soldier through and through.”

Kasumi’s voice was soft, “It sounds like you care about him a great deal.”

“It’s funny who we find peace with, right Shepard?”

A grunt, presumably from Shepard, acknowledged Tali’s question.

“To falling in love!” Kasumi cried, “And to friendship! Even with everything around us trying to tear us apart.”

Miranda heard glasses clink together.

“Cheers!” Shepard’s voice.

“Hear, hear!” Tali.

Miranda leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. A perfect, single tear fell from her perfect, blue eye and etched a trail down her perfect, smooth cheek. Friendship wasn’t something that she’d ever had; except possibly with Niket and maybe Jacob, but she’d never had many… if any… female friends. She longed to walk into the lounge, make herself a drink, and toast to comradery with them, but she felt like her presence would be more of an intrusion than welcome.

Besides, she had work to do.


	5. The Little Geth That Could (or: Does This Unit Have a Soul?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Wasn't sure EXACTLY what Legion would call Mess Hall Sergeant Gardner or EDI so I went with the obvious. These seem longer when I'm writing them... more coming ASAP

* * *

_You know the risks. That’s all I’m going to say_.

_I’d say our best chances involve an airlock._

_It acted… strangely._

_I hope that you don’t reactivate it, but you know best._

Shepard leaned against her fish tank, the glass cool and soothing on her forehead. The crew's comments ran through her head in a loop, and she was reminded of something her mother would say whenever Shepard would argue with her: _everyone has an opinion_. Which was great, really - she wanted her crew’s honest opinions, but it certainly made her own decisions hold that much more weight. But what else was new? She was always going to play the part of the referee: her decisions would impact a large group of people, and half were going to he happy and the other half weren't.

But it hit her hardest when she and Garrus differed. She’d been more forceful with him aboard the SR-1, but he’d only been her subordinate then. Now, he was that much more… and she found herself turning to him that much more, but even when they disagreed, he still supported her – he still had her back.

She could hear Kasumi’s voice in her head: _That’s what the great part about loving your best friend is._

Fuck it. She was turning it back on.

“Commander,” Chakwas murmured as Shepard passed behind her on her way to the AI Core.

Shepard grunted, her mind focused solely on the geth and, with each step towards the room, she became more and more confident in her decision to reactivate the thing. She'd never met a geth before... never a dull moment: also something her mother used to say.

 _You know the risks. That’s all I’m going to say_.

The soldier stationed where the geth was laying saluted her.

“I’m turning this thing back on,” she said to him, “be ready.”

“Aye-aye,” came the reply.

 _“I am prepared to resist any hacking attempt,_ ” EDI said. 

Shepard took a deep breath and initiated the reactivation on her omni-tool. “Here we go.”

*******

If it hadn’t been for the way that Legion had stood there with no face and that voice, she never would have thought that she was speaking to a synthetic form. He had spoken to her in a completely coherent manner, and he seemed to be full of _life_ and morals and capable of making his own judgments… she’d always been privy to the thought that the only thing separating organic from synthetic life was the ability to form opinions, but maybe that was just her heart speaking as it often did in place of her head.

She could hear Garrus chiding her:  _Next thing we'll know, you'll start making friends with YMIR mechs and tell us that they're only 'expressing themselves' when they shoot at us._ It was the most difficult question she'd ever have to answer: when do the lines between synthetic and organic blur? What if there isn't any true answer? It was all making her head hurt.

Shepard sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the framed dog tags that Liara had given her and then at the helmet she’d recovered from Alchera. It brought back memories of finding all of the Alliance dog tags on the frozen planet of the SR-1's lost crew. She’d looked at each one before she’d sent them away to the Alliance, and she was certain that she could remember each of the twenty names. They had all been brave soldiers and were a credit to their uniforms, even if she hadn't known them all personally, and they all died on her watch. She wasn’t going to let that happen now, no matter who - or _what_ - was serving on her crew. No one else dies. _No one_.

There was a knock at her cabin door.

“Come in,” she called absentmindedly, still staring down at her dog tags.

“What are you doing?”

She smiled. Ah, Garrus. He was visiting her more frequently, but just to talk or shoot the shit. They were still waiting for their chance to be together, and they hadn't even kissed yet... though there had been many times where she very much wanted to reach up and pull him in for a just one, simple peck. But she was still learning to read him, and she wanted to honour their agreement.

“Just thinking about the crew.”

“Anyone in particular?”

Shepard chuckled, “Actually, Legion.”

“Legion?” Garrus sat on her couch and crossed his one leg over the other.

“Yeah.”

“What are you thinking about it?”

“It?”

Garrus leaned back and closed his eyes. “Don’t tell me that you’re treating the geth like a person now, Kate. It’s a _geth_.”

“What’s your point? Legion is willing to help us defeat the Collectors. He doesn’t side with the Reapers – he’s on our side.”

“You keep referring to it as a ‘he’.”

“Legion is an individual unit, Garrus. _He_ seems pretty self-aware to me.”

“So, what? You’ve given it a name and now you’re attached to it?”

She shot him a look and he stiffened, the smile fading from his face.

“No,” she said firmly, “Legion is not a pet. He’s a part of this crew and I expect him to be treated as such.”

“Of course, Commander.”

“I hate it when you call me that.”

“Why?”

She moved to sit beside him, cupping his face in her hands. He relaxed immediately and closed his eyes and let out a soft hum, causing his subharmonics to vibrate her hands. It tickled and she giggled.

“Because,” Shepard began, “I like the way your voice sounds when you call me Kate.”

“Do you now?” he asked, trying to sound cocky, but she could hear the insecurity in his voice, and his eyes were looking at her with some trepidation and a hint of fear.

She wanted to kiss him. Badly.

 _Go for it, Shep._ Shit. Kasumi might actually be living in her head.

“Kate…” he said.

That did it for her - agreements and wanting to be discreet be damned - she grabbed his head and brought it towards hers, pressing her lips fiercely against his mouth, grabbing his head in her hands and running her hands underneath his fringe. She felt him push into her and his lips tried to mimic hers, but it was different and not what she expected, so she pulled back and began to giggle.

The pained look in his eyes should have made her stop, but it just made her laugh even harder. If kissing was awkward, then what was it going to be like when they finally went all the way?

“What’s so funny? Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head and stopped laughing abruptly, “No, no, of course not! It’s just a little… different than what I’m used to.”

“Different from what _you’re_ used to? I don’t walk around just kissing humans, you know.”

“Of… of course not. I just thought that maybe our first kiss would be a bit different than this, that’s all. And I never imagined it as me straddling you on my couch and forcing myself on you.”

“I’m partial to the straddling and… actually, it wasn’t that _bad_. But if it was too different for you then maybe you really _do_ need to find something closer to home?” he said, but he didn’t look her in the eye. It was as if he was afraid to face any kind of rejection.

She put two fingers under his chin and brought his head up so that his eyes met hers. “I know what you’re doing. You’re giving me an out. But I don’t want it. I’ve already told you before: I want _you_. There's no one else I'd rather be trying this with. We'll find a way to make it work - don't we always?”

Garrus’ mandibles flared in a smile. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”

“So, what do you say? It won’t go any farther, but if you’d like to learn the art of human kissing… then I’d like to teach you.”

“Mmm, I’m a pretty fast learner, so I might end up teaching _you_ a few things.”

Shepard sighed and leaned towards him again, “One can only hope.”

***********

“Shepard-Commander?” the unmistakably synthetic voice behind her scared her and she jumped, nearly spilling the coffee she held in her hand all over her. 

Shepard turned to face the geth that belonged to that voice. “Legion. You scared me.”

“This unit did not intend to cause a reaction of fear in you. We apologize for the unintentional consequences of our actions.”

“It’s all right, Legion. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: never sneak up behind a soldier, especially an N7 soldier, who's carrying hot coffee.”

“Acknowledged, Shepard-Commander.”

“What are you doing in the mess hall anyways, Legion? I know you don’t need food, but it’s very late and you shouldn’t be wandering the ship in case you wake anyone up."

“This unit maintains a very low processing volume while walking through the ship during the sleeping hours. We… enjoy the quiet when the organics are asleep.”

“Wait – you just wander the ship nightly?” Shepard could just imagine what the geth had seen during his nightly rounds. It piqued her curiousity.

“Yes, Shepard-Commander. We find that observing organics when they are experiencing sleep gives us the most data. Though Gardner-Sergeant is prone to walking around while we observe that he is still experiencing what we have determined to be Delta Sleep mode. He has been very… interesting… to observe.”

Rupert Gardner a sleepwalker… she couldn’t say that it surprised her. “Who else have you observed? I mean… you don’t _watch_ people while they are asleep in their beds, do you?”

“This unit has been informed that it is not appropriate behavior to watch organics while they are sleeping by EDI-AI. We observe them in the common areas while they should be sleeping. Or, like Gardner-Sergeant, they sleep and move at the same time. We have been compiling data on this phenomenon and trying to understand. This unit does not require anything that the organics would recognize as 'rest' or 'sleep'.”

“You don't ever just, I don't know, power down?"

Legion was silent.

Shepard wasn't sure why, but she felt awkward. She moved on, "So you just stay in the common areas?”

“Yes, Shepard-Commander.”

She was intrigued, and it was a good way to pass the time. She hadn’t been able to sleep. Garrus had fallen asleep on her couch after their experimental make-out session and, although she’d nodded off in bed for a few hours, she had tossed and turned and finally got up. She’d tried to wake Garrus up to tell him to take the bed, but he had been deeply asleep and something told her not to bother him: he needed a good night’s rest.

“Can you give me a report?”

Legion seemed as if he was studying her, and he crossed his arms over his chest to mimic her posture. “This unit senses that it may be inappropriate to report on the behaviors of the crew while they believe themselves to be alone.”

“You were _spying_ on them, Legion. Spying is inappropriate.”

“We will answer your inquiries, Shepard-Commander. And we will categorize your inquiry as human behavior, subject: curiosity.”

“Legion… just tell me about your observations.”

“We have observed the turian frequently pacing the space between the main battery door and this area, indicated to this unit as being called the ‘mess hall’. The turian, who has indicated to this unit that he would like to be referred to as ‘Garrus-please’, will then get into the elevator and take it up to Shepard-Commander’s cabin and pace outside the door to Shepard-Commander’s cabin for a total of five minutes. Then, he sits on the ground outside of Shepard-Commander’s cabin and, some nights, Garrus-please will fall asleep whilst sitting. We have not observed an organic asleep in the sitting position before this instance.”

Shepard raised her eyebrows; she'd never known that Garrus had been doing that outside her cabin. It was, to quote Mordin, problematic.

“Legion, it’s not ‘Garrus please’, it’s just ‘Garrus’. And how often does this happen?”

“Every night for the past week.”

 _Every night?_ Shit. “And how does he not see you?”

“We were observing the area in front of Shepard-Commander’s cabin the first time we observed the turian outside of the door. We... hid.”

“I see.”

“We are… sensing tension in your body and your decibel level has changed, Shepard-Commander. Have we upset you?”

“No, Legion. Anyone else?”

“Creator-Zorah does not sleep more than four hours per night. We were… worried for her well-being and followed her from her quarters to the shuttle bay on several nights. She retreated to a corner and proceeded to speak to her omni-tool. We could not extrapolate who she was speaking to, but the voice that responded to her queries has been determined to be another Creator. We need more data. We can achieve this by examining Creator-Zorah's omnitool.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t do that. Tali doesn’t take too well to people poking around in her business and I can only imagine how upset she would be if you went poking around her omnitool. Besides, I have the ‘data’ that you’re looking for: she is contacting another quarian named Kal’Reegar. He must be somewhere pretty far away that she needs to speak with him at such an odd hour.”

“Creator-Zorah often cries while she is talking to Creator-Reegar.”

“How can you tell?”

Legion shrugged, and Shepard swore that he was conveying a certain kind of sadness. “Creator-Zorah’s body language is similar to most organics when we have previously observed them to cry or experience negative emotional responses. And this unit… this unit  _knows_.”

Shepard leaned back and studied the geth in front of her. It was hard to believe that she was speaking to one representation of a larger consensus, because Legion was just so… unique. His observation of the crew, especially Tali, spoke volumes to her: it showed her that he cared about them. It showed that he was an active part of the crew. She'd been right about him. 

“How do you just _know_ that, Legion? It seems to me to be a very organic sentiment; it's like you’re showing affection or that you have some sort of emotional attachment to the crew and the people you observe.”

Legion was staring at her – she was sure of it, but she couldn’t tell if it was in contemplation or compiling of data or what. If she could figure out a way to invent some kind of ‘geth expression decoder’ interface once all of the conflict and war was resolved, she could surely retire within a year… maybe two.

“Legion?”

“No data available.”


	6. Pull-ups and Sit-Ups and Bicep Curls, Oh My! (or: Jacob Taylor, You Sly Fox)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob has unsavory thoughts about Shakarian

With each crunch he unsuccessfully tried to push the encroaching thoughts out of his brain. 

One hundred.  _Shepard_. 

One-oh-one.  _Miranda_.

One-oh-two.  _Shepard_.

One-oh-three.  _Shepard and Garrus_. 

He laid back against the cool steel of the armory floor, his hands behind his head, only slightly embarrassed as to where his mind had gone. It wasn't that he was jealous, even though he could have sworn Shepard was flirting with him during one of her rounds, but that he just couldn't understand the attraction. Well, he could at least understand Garrus' attraction to Shepard, but Shepard's to the turian? Maybe it wasn't something he wanted to understand. 

Even before the rumors started about the Commander and Vakarian, Jacob had noticed how close the two were. He had been there when they'd found Garrus on Omega, and he'd seen the way the obviously exhausted turian had fought with a new sense of vigor and spark when Shepard was around. And seeing the two of them in combat together had been like watching two kids at a shooting gallery, boasting to each other about head shots, and complimenting each other on a nice shot or takedown. And when Garrus had taken the rocket to the face... well, Jacob had never seen Shepard look so lost before, not even when they'd met after she woken up. 

He should have known then.

Thinking about it, though, it was only logical that two... people... who cared that much about each other, and were that great of friends, would end up romantically involved, right? It wasn’t like when he and Miranda had tried – and failed – to turn a friendship into something more; Jacob hadn’t been worthy of Miranda, but Garrus was as much an unstoppable juggernaut as Shepard, and Shepard was more _Shepard_ than Jacob had ever seen her before. She trusted Garrus implicitly, and the turian made the Commander laugh and relax – something that Jacob had only seen happen once, and that had been with Joker. Jacob shook his head free from the thoughts and began his crunches again, but his mind began to wander almost immediately. 

_How would they even...?_

No. He wasn't going to think about that. He could pick up a copy of Fornax on their next trip to Omega or the Citadel of he was that curious, he supposed... _or_ he could just ask EDI. He looked up at the AI terminal - did he really need to know what Shepard and Garrus got up to when they were off-shift? On one hand, it was a huge betrayal of Shepard's trust, but on the other hand... well, his curiosity was overwhelming. And it was getting in the way of his workout. 

He got up and put his shirt on. 

"Hey EDI, do you have a second? Just me and you."

"Do you have an inquiry, Mr. Taylor?"

"I do, but I'd like for it to remain private. Just between me and you, if you get my drift."

"Certainly, Jacob. How may I be of assistance?"

He was feeling kind of awkward now, but it was too late. Even still, he should be delicate. He couldn't imagine the fire in Shepard's eyes if she found out he was asking EDI about her personal life. That confrontation would end badly; he'd never admit it, but the Commander was stronger biotically and in combat than he was, and he knew she'd more than likely rip his head off... literally.

"What do you know about Shepard and Garrus?"

"You will need to give me more specific parameters. I can provide information about them as individuals, their service histories, or..."

"No, no, EDI. I want to know about their relationship."

The AI paused before saying, "Commander Shepard and Officer Vakarian have been friends since before the Battle of the Citadel. Shepard recruited Garrus for their mission to find Saren Arterius and Sovereign, and she personally helped him track down and eliminate one Dr. Saleon, also known as Dr. Heart. Officer Vakarian..."

"I meant their _romantic_ relationship, EDI. They’re obviously more than friends now."

Another pause and then, "I have been asked not to broach that specific subject."

"By who?"

EDI didn’t respond. Damn, EDI was getting too smart and aware for her own good; he was certain that she was being purposely coy.

"Commander Shepard?" he mused, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Let me get this straight," Jacob said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, "Shepard specifically asked you not to speak to anyone about her romantic relationship with Garrus?"

"Yes."

"Okay, EDI. Thanks anyways," he said. He'd already got the answer he needed and he'd just have to stick to flipping through an issue of Fornax for any further clarification. 

He laid back down on the floor, ready to resume his crunches. But the minute he brought his hands behind his head, thoughts began to flood his mind again. Shepard had specifically told EDI not to mention anything about her relationship with Garrus.  _Specifically_.

Jacob could understand it, he supposed - the crew had more pressing things to occupy their minds, and the two were nothing but professional while they were around the crew, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He shook the thought from his head and instead tried focusing on his breathing. 

One.  _Shepard_. 

 _Shit_.

Two.  _Miranda_.

Three.  _Shepard and Garrus_.

 _Ugh_. 

Four.  _Shepard and Garrus_. 

He sighed and rested. Maybe he should just stick to push-ups. 


	7. Consider This My Resignation (or, The Illusive Man Sleeps Poorly Tonight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue/storyline modification a bit here as well

Decisions had never been her strongpoint, but she'd accepted that she'd have to make some difficult ones the minute she was promoted to Commander. She just didn't realize how damn many difficult decisions she'd have to make. But now, here she was, standing before her team in the heart of the Collector base, with the most difficult of decisions swarming her like a sea of gnats. 

Garrus was probably better suited to lead the second team, but she couldn't bear to part with him. Not when the possibility that she'd never see him again was astronomically high. And she wasn't going to break down saying goodbye to him - not in front of her team that was depending on her so desperately. Miranda was, of course, the most logical second choice. But it didn't make her any less easy to say goodbye to. 

They'd fought bravely through the base, and Shepard was pleasantly surprised to see that her entire team had made it. Saving the rest of the crew was an added bonus. But now she was standing in front of them, about to take the final step and leave the majority of her crew - hell, her  _friends_ \- behind to hold the line, not knowing if she'd get to see any of them again.

Everyone had already predicted who Shepard would take with her, so when she selected Miranda and Garrus, no one was surprised or disappointed. They respected her decision to want to have Garrus with her - they were in it together until the very, bitter end.

It wasn't that she didn't have faith in the rest of her team's ability to walk through hell and come out on the other side, and it wasn't that saying goodbye to each of them wasn't hard (even though she'd stood before them and told them that she'd see each of them after they'd destroyed the base), but it was because she half-expected that they would never see _her_ again. Shepard knew that the Collectors would focus the majority of their attacks on her, and if she died she could be at peace with it. Garrus, too, he'd reminded her the night before, and Miranda had not so subtly pulled Shepard aside before they left the Normandy to tell her she would consider it a personal favour to see this thing through. The three most seasoned warriors left in the final stand against the unspeakable evil that had haunted their steps for too long: the three with the seemingly least left to lose. 

As the platform began to descend, she tried to remain steadfast in her resolve as she watched the faces of the rest of her team slowly disappear. 

 _We're going to make it_. 

 _We're going to make it._  

Shepard had almost broke down in Garrus' arms during the previous night they'd spent together. It'd been the best night of her life and, when she'd told him so, he'd looked at her with such adoration and such... such  _love_  that she'd almost begun to cry. She'd wanted to tell him how she shouldn't have waited so long to tell him her true feelings or how she wished that she'd had more time with him. And, fuck, she wanted to tell him just how much she loved him. 

Instead, she'd just reveled in the moment, enjoying the warm feeling enveloping her... and ignoring the feeling that reminded her just how much she could lose. 

Shepard was brought back to reality suddenly as the platform snapped into place and she stared up at one of the most abominable sights she'd ever seen: a Human Reaper. Her knees shook uncharacteristically as she gaped up at it. 

Beside her, she heard a slight whimper from Miranda and a low growl from Garrus. 

But her heart began to beat with unbridled rage as EDI began to tell them about the Reaper and just how many damn colonists had been processed into it. Shepard began to almost will herself to grow to the size of the Reaper and tear it apart with her bare hands. But, as always, guns would just have to do. 

She felt Garrus' uneasy glare and looked at him and gave him a wicked smile. "Let's bring this fucking abomination down."

He tilted his head at her but didn't return the smile. "Kate, are you okay?"

Ah, he was using her first name. It meant he was worried. 

"Why wouldn't I be? We can't do anything for the colonists now except avenge them. And I want this thing blown the fuck away."

Miranda now shot her a worried glance. "That's twice now I've ever heard you say the 'f' word."

" _Fuck_. Now it's been three times. What, you want to save this thing?" Shepard asked, her eyes blazing. 

The other woman continued to stare at her, "No. I want this  _thing_  gone."

Shepard grabbed her Locust. "Then let's not waste any more time."

"Enemies to our left," Garrus said, alerted by his visor, "Shepard, you worry about hitting the weak spots - aim for those tubes. Let us worry about the Collectors."

Miranda gave a quick nod and drew her pistol gingerly. 

As she concentrated fire on the exposed tubes and her rage intensified as each one popped and liquefied humanity poured out, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she heard her teammates cry out happily after each take-down. 

_We're going to make it._

_We're going to win_. 

Harbinger's voice punctuated the air between the pistol and rifle shots and the sound of particle beams, and she swivelled towards the smouldering Collector body rising above the rest. The voice that haunted her dreams.

 _I know this hurts you_. 

Her body burned blue as her rage fuelled her biotic output. She wanted to charge and pummel the body Harbinger was controlling until it was nothing more than ash. She wanted Harbinger to see the look in her eyes as she snuffed out his influence. She wanted him to pay. 

The shockwave that she sent towards the latest wave of Collectors was so powerful that it blew the platform they were standing on away. She turned, still swathed entirely in a bright burst of blue, and sent a blast towards the last remaining tube and it shattered violently. The Reaper lurched forward and she ran towards the edge to watch it fall.  

Garrus was at her side in a moment, his three-fingered hand on her shoulder as if to prevent her from walking off of the edge of the platform. "Kate! Are you all right?"

"Shit, Shepard," Miranda hissed, "mind warning us before you go all Subject Zero with a power surge like that?"

"You're fine, aren't you? I didn't even knock a hair off of your head. Jealous that I out-blued you, Lawson?" Shepard teased. 

This was more like the Shepard they knew, and both relaxed. Shepard holstered her weapon and took one last look over the platform's edge. She spat in the direction that the Reaper fell and turned on her heel toward the centre console. 

"Ground team, get back to the Normandy. I'm going to blow this thing back into whatever hole it crawled out of," Shepard said, beginning to set the reactor to overload. 

 _"Shepard... message coming through from the Illusive Man"_ , Joker said over comms, " _patching it through now."_

As the Illusive Man preached to her about keeping the Base, she saw Miranda’s eyes narrow and her free fist clench as she watched the message play through on her omnitool. Shepard had never seen Miranda so hostile when it came to the Illusive Man, but the woman standing across from her looked furious.

Shepard had never had any intention of saving the Collector Base, especially after seeing that Human Reaper. It was an abomination. It was the final resting place of countless human lives, and they deserved to be set free, not sit as some kind of fuel for evil. So it surprised her when Garrus spoke up in favour of keeping the Base – she wondered how he’d feel if they’d come across processed turians and if that would have changed his mind. He certainly was a bit of an enigma, but at least he spoke his mind. Miranda, she could tell, supported her decision to destroy it, and the other woman confirmed this by telling the Illusive Man in a very Miranda way to suck it.

“Consider this my resignation,” perfect Miranda had said before cutting the comm off.

It had surprised Shepard at first that Miranda would just suddenly cut her ties to Cerberus and the Illusive Man. Miranda had been completely supportive of Cerberus and the Illusive Man especially, but to be so final and curt to the man who Miranda had admitted that she owed so much to was slightly shocking. But, then again, Shepard owed her life to the Illusive Man, and she was just as ready to turn her back on him as Miranda was. Sure, he’d supported them, but he’d also sent them into trap after trap and wanting to preserve the Collector Base had been the final straw. He’d clearly lost it and it was about time that she lost him and all ties to him.

“Okay, we have ten minutes,” Shepard said as she set the charge. She should have known the minute that she set the time limit that it was just an invitation for shit to hit the fan. She should have known the minute that the charge was set to be ready for anything, but when the Human Reaper clawed its way onto the platform, she wasn’t ready. She didn’t know how long she stared at it for, but it was long enough for the thing to send a blast and knock her off of her feet.

“We’ve got some old friends incoming!” Garrus shouted as another platform filled with Collectors joined theirs.

Shepard grabbed her grenade launcher and jutted her chin towards the Collectors. “You take care of them. I’m bringing this thing down. Once and for all.”

Intuitively, she knew that she wouldn’t have to worry about the Collectors: it was as if there was a bubble surrounding her, protecting her from any of their fire, allowing her to focus solely on the Reaper. It was more than just her barrier, and she was reminded of what Ashley had said about God – Shepard wasn’t sure what she really believed in, but she felt as if she had a higher power on her side. It was like confirmation that her efforts hadn’t been in vain.

The Reaper dipped and weaved, and she knew that some of her grenades hadn’t landed their mark, and she was down to her last two projectiles when she finally hit the sweet spot. The Reaper’s eye socket exploded and the last platform holding another wave of Collectors went down. She felt the platform shake under her feet and she jumped out of cover and looked for her team.

“Run!” she screamed as the platform dove precariously.

Miranda was knocked back by falling debris and Shepard ran to help her up, not noticing Garrus sliding down the platform in front of her.

“No!” Shepard shouted, and Miranda gave her a slight push towards where Garrus had been falling.

Shepard dove towards him and grabbed his wrist before he fell off of the edge of the platform, surprised at her ability and strength to hang onto him. She could thank adrenaline for that one, she thought.  _Or love._ Why was it always Kasumi’s voice in her head?

She helped Garrus to his feet and looked up at him. Was it too much to kiss him before they inevitably fell to their deaths? She was about to reach up and grab him when the platform jerked suddenly and threw the trio forcibly to the side. The world went black.

******

When she awoke, she was almost certain that she was dead, but as the world around her came into focus, she realized that she was simply still stuck in hell. At least she could see Garrus and Miranda were still there with her. She limped over to where each of them lay and helped them get free from the debris that had been covering them and felt the utter relief wash over her as Joker’s voice came through the comms.

Shepard had run for her life before, but this was different. This wasn’t something that she could come back from, and she wasn’t going to go down with the Collectors. They were going to get out of this hellhole… alive.

_You’ve changed nothing, human._

But when the Normandy had pulled up and she saw Garrus and Miranda both jump safely into the airlock, and when more debris knocked down several platforms leading to the safety of the ship, she didn’t panic. She relaxed, even not knowing whether or not she’d make the jump, or when she saw Garrus look back at her with complete and total fear written all over his face. As long as her team was safe then it didn’t matter whether or not she made the jump. 

_Your species now has the attention of those infinitely your greater._

She landed on the edge of the airlock with a thud, grasping for a hold to pull herself up. Garrus bent down and pulled her up easily as Joker and Miranda continued to take shots at the Collectors massing behind them.

Garrus helped her to her feet and gave her a stern look as the airlock door closed behind them. “Is it too much to ask you to actually be _in_ the door before we take off?”

Shepard smiled at him brightly and swept him up in a passionate kiss, not concerned that she’d basically bowled Miranda over to get to him. But the other woman didn’t say anything and Shepard figured that Miranda probably would have kissed Joker out of sheer relief and joy to be alive if the pilot hadn’t headed straight for the cockpit the minute the door closed.

As the Normandy flew off, and even though they weren’t completely out of the woods and back through the relay just yet, Shepard smiled to herself as she continued to embrace Garrus.

Harbinger was wrong. They’d changed everything, and she wasn’t about to stop now.


	8. The Man with the Mantis Gets the Girl (or: Assassins Have Feelings, Too)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thane's thoughts on Shepard and Garrus

Thane was only slightly disappointed when they passed back through the Omega 4 relay. He had been convinced that he'd expire either while they were heading towards the Collector home world or during the mission, but here he was alive, back aboard the SR-2, sitting with a drink in his hand and watching humans dance around like giddy fools. It gave a whole new meaning to  _dance crazy_.

Thane knew that he should be enjoying himself - they had pulled off the impossible. But of course they had. They had Shepard. Shepard was the only person in the galaxy who could have done it and, not surprisingly, she  _had_. He looked over at her sitting a few feet away from him and watched her green eyes sparkle with delight as she laughed along with her crew. She looked relaxed and peaceful. Happy, even. 

The turian beside her, his hand casually resting on Shepard's knee, also looked relaxed and happy. Thane had heard the rumors circulating about the Commander and Garrus' involvement, and he hadn't really believed them until now. Most of the crew were skeptical about the rumors, but others were steadfast and supportive: many claimed that they'd wanted the pairing to happen for quite some time. Especially the thief: Kasumi, was it? Thane had actually seen the woman maybe twice, but her voice reverberated throughout the walls and often interrupted his meditations.

The turian's hand was mostly hidden under the table, so none of the other crew seemed to notice, but Thane noticed. As an assassin, he had trained hard to become a master at observing small, seemingly insignificant behaviors in his targets, like the way Shepard would reach down every so often and caress Garrus' hand, making his mandibles twitch. Or the way that Garrus' thumb would move gently back and forth on her knee. Or the way that, when they'd thought no one was watching, Shepard had leaned over and kissed the side of Garrus' face so quickly that it was almost like it never happened. But it had, and Thane saw it all. 

It made a feeling rise up in Thane that he was certain had never afflicted him: jealousy. Maybe with a hint of loneliness. He was dying and all he had to keep him warm at night were memories, and at least he could relive them completely, but it was the few minutes after he had recalled a memory when he really felt alone. He'd tried to start 'the' conversation with Shepard when she'd asked him about his recall capabilities, but that was before the Collector base and before he knew of the relationship between her and the turian. He still wished that he'd told her of his desire for her, but it was much, much too late now. 

Thane was still watching as Shepard said goodnight to the crew and walked toward the elevator, and then again as Garrus did the same two minutes later. He slipped away himself, a ghost in the shadows, and followed the turian, his curiosity and jealousy getting the better of him. 

Shepard was waiting at the elevator for Garrus, and Thane ducked out of sight. He could see the way that her eyes lit up as Garrus drew near, and the smile that came afterward made Thane's own heart race. 

Garrus swept her up in a passionate embrace, and Thane tried not to notice the way that the turian's hands lingered on Shepard's waist, or the deep, desire-filled growl that escaped his lips. Shepard's body tensed and Thane felt like he was intruding on the tender, supremely intimate moment. He'd assassinated enough turians and humans to be able to read their respective body languages, and the connection between Garrus and Shepard was palpable.

He kept watching as Shepard kissed the turian over and over again, her mouth frequently breaking out into a smile as she pressed it against Garrus' mouth. He would murmur something gently to her, his subharmonics vibrating in the air, and she'd cup his face in her hands and wrinkle her nose in a smile. They brought their foreheads together more than once, and Thane found himself momentarily surprised that a turian would embrace in such a show of affection with someone he was not promised to... someone not of his species. 

But Garrus was a smart man, on and off the battlefield, and Thane respected him greatly. The turian was one of the very few people that Thane knew that more than likely had the skills to take his drell head off. It made Thane proud to call him a friend, but it was the first time that he'd been grateful to have another alien, and such an accomplished sniper, as a friend. Maybe not the first time: there was one other alien he could think of, and she was standing right in front of him. 

 _Shepard_. His lips closed over her name silently. He didn't know her first name - they were friends, yes, but not on that kind of level. And he respected her enough to prevent himself from looking into it. If she wanted him to know it, he'd know it. The turian certainly knew what it was. Thane could tell just by the way Garrus was looking at her. And, while turian facial expressions were remarkably hard to read, Thane had made a career out of reading people, and the expressions plastered obviously on both of the faces in front of him were filled with... love. 

 _They love each other_. 

The assassin was torn on how to feel. He felt happiness for the two having found something so sacred and sweet in the midst of such sour darkness, but he also felt his heart twinge and jealousy reared her ugly head yet again. If he didn't respect and admire Garrus as much as he did, he'd argue that Shepard needed someone more worthy... like him. But Garrus... well, Garrus was  _worthy_. He was more than worthy of the affections of such an accomplished woman, worthy of the invitation into her bed and into her heart, and worthy to storm into hell alongside her. Maybe the fates and spirits had had a part in this pairing. 

Thane sighed as the duo kissed again and walked into the elevator together, presumably headed for her cabin. His training had taught him how to block his emotions and feelings from distracting him and dragging him down, but his overwhelm at being torn between happiness and jealousy made him feel like he was made of stone. He slithered back to the mess hall and again sat and watched the humans and other aliens chat and dance and laugh loudly, and no one was any the wiser that he'd even left the room.  

Suddenly, he felt a drip on his shoulder and turned to come face-to-face with Rupert Gardner's beer glass. 

"Hey drell," the cook slurred, "thanks for making sure we got back okay. I'm proud to know you."

Thane smiled slightly and nodded, watching the man stumble towards one of the ensigns laughing loudly with the krogan, who was beating his chest like an ape.

"Humans..." Thane breathed disdainfully. He took it all in: the smell of the putrid alcohol, the blaring music, the heat the bodies produced as they danced together in close proximity, and the utter war that was going on inside of his own head. 

Even still, this was to be a good memory.


	9. After Arrival (or: Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder)

When the alarm went off beside him and he had regained enough awareness after the deep sleep he’d been in, his heart sank. They'd purposely set it late so that Shepard could get a long sleep before they set a course for the Sol System and she turned herself into the Alliance.

Garrus turned over in the bed to see if Shepard had been roused by the alarm, but she was still asleep, curled into a ball, and clutching the covers up around her neck. She was breathing peacefully. 

It was a stark contrast to how she'd slept after returning from the asteroid. He'd spent the night in her room, but he'd stayed on the couch as they'd both agreed to save their first time for just before they hit the Collector base. She'd wanted him there just simply to have him there so she wouldn't wake up alone. She hated waking up alone. Garrus had watched her sleep that night, riddled with nightmares and spontaneous crying fits. In her exhausted delusions, she'd claimed that she could hear the screams of all of the batarians whose death warrants she claimed she'd signed. He'd been there to hold her and assure her that she'd done the right thing and that there were no batarians screaming at her in the general vicinity. At least not then.

He truly believed that she had done the right thing. It was the ruthless calculus of war, and those three hundred thousand batarians had been sacrificed for the trillions of others that would have been totally obliterated if the Reapers had come through that relay. But still... three hundred thousand lives had been extinguished for the 'greater good'. Three hundred thousand names - the red stains on her ledger. The death warrants she'd stamped. Oh, Spirits, how he loathed the Reapers.

"Was that the alarm?" he heard her mumble. 

"Yeah."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Should I tell Joker to start heading for the Sol relay?"

He saw her nod.

"EDI?" he asked, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. 

" _Yes?_ "

"It's time."

" _Setting a course for Earth. We will notify you when we approach the Sol Relay_."

"Thank you, EDI. It's appreciated," he said. 

" _Logging you out_."

Garrus got up and walked over to Shepard's side of the bed where she still lay, curled in the fetal position, staring at her desk and her old N7 helmet that she'd recovered from Alchera. The covers were still scrunched by her neck like she was holding onto them for dear life. She didn't look at him when he knelt down beside her or even when he rested his hand on her blanket-covered hip. 

He sighed, "Kate, you should get up and shower."

"We did work up a sweat last night, didn't we?" she murmured. Her green eyes still stared at the helmet, and her face was stoic and unsmiling. 

Garrus ran his hand through her hair gently. "We did."

Shepard pulled the blankets over her face and he heard the muffled sobs come from underneath. He stiffened awkwardly - he still didn't know what to do when she cried in front of him. It had only happened once before. So, he just placed his hand back on her hip and stayed kneeling beside her. 

"They're going to lock me up and put me in some cell somewhere and I won't be able to do anything about the Reapers. They'll still come and they'll wipe everyone out and I won't be able to fight them. I'll be watching the destruction of the galaxy and I won't be able to do anything about it," she finally said, yanking the covers off of her face and throwing her hands down on the bed beside her in anguish.

Garrus still didn't know what to say, so he just took her hand in his and squeezed gently. 

"I'm sorry that you had to get caught up in all of this," she whispered, turning to face him. Her green eyes glistened with tears. 

"I'm not sorry," he choked, "You did the right thing, Kate. You stopped the Reapers from coming before we were ready... and then you went and stopped the Collectors and made it back with very few casualties. You're a damn hero."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me, I'm not sure what they're going to be more concerned about pinning on me - the Alpha Relay incident or that I was working with Cerberus. At least Hackett will go to bat for me."

"I would, too, you know."

She looked at him sadly. "I know, but we talked about this. I'm the only one that needs to take the fall. We'll hand over the Normandy without incident. I'm sure they'd love to pin something on you - the turian and the ex-Alliance, Cerberus-resurrected destroyer of relays and entire solar systems... we make quite the pair."

They had talked about it extensively, but Garrus was never satisfied with what they'd decided. He'd wanted to stand with her as an accomplice of sorts so that they wouldn't be as hard on her, but she wouldn't let him. If Shepard was good at one thing it was being adamant, and she was a formidable opponent when it came to being stubborn, too. 

"You have to be the one to inspire the races to work together to fight against the Reapers," she'd told him, "You have to be the one to lead the fight."

But that was just Shepard: she was more concerned about the fate of the galaxy than her own. It was when she'd placed that fate in his hands that he gotten just a peek at the immense responsibility that had been sitting on her shoulders from the beginning. He wasn't sure that he could carry it himself, and, more importantly, this fight didn't mean anything without her fighting beside him. It was selfish of him, sure, but he didn't care; they were in it together until the very end. And to be separated from her now was like losing a whole other fight... a blow that he wasn't sure he could pick himself up completely after.

They hadn't really talked about the fate of their relationship either, and Garrus wasn't sure how to even begin. Sure, they'd been sleeping together, but he wouldn't call himself her  _boyfriend_. Even still, she had told him often how much she cared for him, and there had never been any threat of anyone interfering with what they had, so he'd always assumed that there was more to it than just stress release for her. It was certainly more for him. He'd wanted to tell her to dodge everything and they could run away together to some tropical planet or somewhere in the Far Rim and hide out there together, but his own sense of honour and duty dictated that she turn herself in. It was just so damn  _hard_. 

Shepard finally untangled herself from the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed. As if she'd read his mind, she said, "It's going to be hard without you."

"I'm going to be awfully lonely," he replied. It was lighthearted banter disguising the real anguish both were feeling. He hoped that she knew that there would never be anyone else for him, no matter how long they locked her up for or if the Reapers won. They'd find each other again, even if it was in the afterlife.

She smiled at him halfheartedly and then stood and walked towards the bathroom. "I should really take a shower."

Garrus watched her until the door closed and then he dressed himself. He could feel his sadness and anger welling up inside him, threatening to bubble up as sobs in his throat. He waited until he heard the water turn on to keen. He let wave after wave of grief and frustration wash over him until he sank into the couch cushions, exhausted and utterly defeated. He wanted nothing more than to make a few Alliance brass heads explode and _then_ he'd go to work on them. 

"What will you do after I turn myself in?" she'd asked him one night when they'd been wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying the sense of post-coital bliss that had become blessedly familiar.

He hadn't had an answer for her then. Returning to C-Sec certainly wasn't an option... perhaps he'd just go home. Back to Palaven. He could see Solana and his dad before the Reapers hit and make sure that they were safe, and then he'd get them both the hell off of Palaven. If he concerned himself with worrying about his family, then he wouldn't have time to worry about whether he'd see the woman he loved ever again. 

The water shut off, and he brought himself back to reality. Shepard would be a few minutes still, but he didn't want her to pick up on the turmoil that was happening inside of him. Garrus busied himself with a data pad at her desk, and used her terminal to scan the extranet to distract him.

A loud sigh permeated the air behind him. He got up from her desk and opened the door to her bathroom. 

Shepard was standing there, fully naked, staring at herself in the mirror. She'd pinned her hair into an elegant top knot, and her makeup was soft and almost angelic, but she was scowling at her reflection. 

Garrus leaned against the door frame, admiring her. "Well, you might have more issues if you turn up without clothes on."

She rolled her eyes. "My dress blues are on the chair there. You mind handing them to me?"

He tossed the clothing to her and then resumed his position. "Are you nervous?"

She pulled on the clothing and let out an exasperated laugh, "Hell yes."

"It will be okay."

"It will go how it goes, I guess," she murmured, fixing her hair and checking it in the mirror. 

Even with her boxy dress fatigues on, she still looked beautiful. It wasn't something that he ever thought he'd think of a human, but  _damn_  was he attracted to her. 

"You look beautiful, Kate," he blurted out nervously.

Shepard blushed and smiled slightly. She walked towards him and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you."

Garrus grabbed her hands and brought his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as if to preserve the memory. When he opened them, their eyes met and hers widened. 

"Garrus... I..."

A knock at the cabin door interrupted her and he saw her eyes narrow in annoyance. But he knew what she was going to say, and he leaned down to touch his forehead to hers once more and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. 

 _I love you, too_. 


	10. David Anderson’s Fury (or: Answering to the ‘Other Shepard’)

As Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard stormed down the halls of Alliance command in Vancouver, she felt herself become more and more angry with each step she took. She found herself thinking about how long it would take her to break her daughter out of the detention centre in the next building, but her presence at this meeting was required… much to her chagrin. She wanted to visit Kate while the Orizaba was in dry-dock, but her time was mired with meetings upon meetings upon meetings. If there was one thing she hated more than taking a bullet, it was bureaucracy.

“Shepard,” David Anderson said tensely as she walked into his office.

“Admiral Anderson, Admiral Hackett,” she said curtly, nodding at each man. There was another man there, and she recognized him almost immediately as Donnel Udina. “Councillor Udina. I was unaware that you would be here.”

Anderson let out a slight guffaw. “You’re among friends here, RA.”

Udina narrowed his eyes at Anderson. “I am here today, Rear Admiral, to benefit us both.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted her out towards him. “Oh really? And how are you going to do that?”

“I am here today to negotiate on your daughter’s behalf.”

“Where were you six months ago?”

“I am a Councillor, Shepard. I had more pressing matters on the Citadel.”

Hackett sighed, “More pressing matters than the end of the galaxy?”

“Someone going to fill me in?” Hannah asked, exasperated. She loathed politicians, and the less time she had to spend in a room with one, the better. Especially Udina, the snake.

“We’ve received reports of Reaper attacks on Palaven,” Hackett said, looking tired.

“Then what are you doing here?” she snapped at him. She was being highly insubordinate, but her rage was the only thing fueling her now.

“I’m to leave very soon. As you know, Shepard, the Fifth Fleet needs to mobilize, and we have every reason to believe that they’ll be attacking other home worlds very shortly. I still expect the Orizaba to rendezvous at the time previously agreed upon,” Hackett answered.

She nodded at Hackett turned to Udina. “So you’re here to ask Kate to save your asses yet again?”

“I am here on my own accord, Rear Admiral Shepard, and I do not appreciate your tone. If the Reapers attack Earth, your daughter is no use to us sitting in a cell.”

“I could have told you that six months ago!”

Anderson finally spoke up, “Enough! Arguing won’t get us anywhere. Admiral Hackett, you’ve got to get off-world, and Udina… you’ve got a meeting with command in about five minutes, no?”

Both men nodded at him and turned for the door. Udina looked over his shoulder and gave Hannah a pointed look. “I am on your daughter’s side, Rear Admiral.”

“Then prove it,” she shot back.

Anderson closed the door and turned to her. “I understand your frustration, Shepard. I’m at about the same level.”

“I apologize for my conduct, Admiral. It’s just been so... well, frustrating! Besides, the Orizaba ships out tomorrow and I haven’t even had time to visit Kate. It’s been meeting after meeting and then the usual bureaucratic and political bullshit on top of that. I didn’t mean to take it out on Hackett and Udina, or you. You’ve been a beacon of light in all of this, and I don’t believe that I’ve ever properly thanked you.”

“It’s been my pleasure. It’s been kind of fun skirting around the rules to deliver your messages to her, and Kate has always been like a daughter to me. I don’t give a shit if anyone accuses me of preferential treatment. Your daughter’s a damn hero. She doesn't deserve to be rotting in some detention centre.”

“Agreed.”

Anderson’s terminal beeped and he moved to sit behind it. “The reports from Palaven are… terrifying.”

“Sir? I didn’t know that you knew the Primarch.”

“This, uh, isn’t from Fedorian.”

“Ah. Vakarian?”

He eyed her in surprise over the top of his terminal. “Yes. How did you know?”

“Kate told me about them when I came to visit her when they first locked her up. I can assume that you’ve been delivering messages from him to her as well?”

Anderson shook his head. “No, actually, I haven’t. He has only asked for updates about her, though I have told her that he’s been asking. It seemed to hurt more than help when I told her, and the same is true for when I told him. He stopped calling me and started inboxing me after a few times of hearing about how restless Kate's been. I think it was so I couldn't hear how much pain it brought him to hear about her.”

“Do you think it’s serious?”

He gave her a searching look and folded his hands under his chin. “Yes. I do.”

Hannah sighed, “I felt so when she told me, too. Not exactly the person that I expected Kate to end up with.”

Anderson chuckled, “Really? Have you met him?”

“At her funeral when she… um, died. He approached me,” she nodded. She probably should have clued in then; looking back now, it was obvious that Vakarian’s pain exceeded that of losing just a friend. She should have known that he was in love with her daughter then, but Kate had never mentioned anything about being with him before she died.

“I don’t believe that they had entered into a romantic relationship at that time, but Vakarian took her death harder than most. Perhaps there was something between them then… in any case, Vakarian is fiercely loyal, passionate about, and protective over your daughter. I’ve heard great stories about him in combat, and I’ve often found myself wishing that he was Alliance just so I could say that he was one of ours.”

“But you and I both fought in the First Contact War. Humans and turians _together_ , Anderson? Even now there is still animosity between our races. Can you imagine the push back if their relationship ever became public? I... guess I don't understand, but I've never really understood Kate either. I suppose I just don’t know the man, but I trust you and I do trust Kate.”

“This isn’t a time for animosity. It’s a time for cooperation and to work together. Your daughter and Garrus are a great team, and a relationship like theirs will inspire this cooperation more than conflict. And I believe that you will get to know him, and you’ll be happy that you took the time to. Trust me.”

She was eager for a change in the subject. “When do you think that they’ll release Kate?”

“You mean _if_ they release her?”

“Is there any other option? She’s the only person in this damn galaxy that knows anything about the Reapers.”

“There is miles of red tape to sift through, and the batarians are still calling for her head.”

“Give them Udina instead.”

Anderson laughed loudly. “Wouldn’t that be _nice_?”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“I don’t know, Shepard. But I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that it is before the Reapers land on Earth. She’s our only hope.”

Hannah nodded sadly. “How did we get here, Anderson? How did this happen? When did the shit completely hit the fan?”

“Blame the politicians. I do.”

“Happy to have you on our side, Anderson.”

He nodded at her, and his eyes jerked back to his terminal as it beeped again. “More word from Vakarian. He’s moved to a command outpost on Menae with Primarch Fedorian. Palaven is burning.”

She sighed, “Is he all right?”

“Seems to be.”

Hannah sank into a chair and rubbed the space between her eyes. Sure, she’d fought the turians so many years earlier, but to hear of them losing their home… her heart went out to them. And if Kate’s heart was with Garrus… well, she’d do anything to keep her daughter from being hurt. “What can I do?”

“The Orizaba ships out tomorrow, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Go and visit your daughter, and then get back on that ship and be ready to put that dreadnought to good use. I’m surprised that you’re not leaving with Hackett. Where is the Fifth Fleet mobilizing once you get off-world?”

“I’m not sure yet. Likely out of system.”

“Stay in touch, Shepard.”

She got up from her chair and walked towards the door, thankful to have some time to visit Kate before hell knocked down the door. Anderson was right: if the Reapers were attacking Palaven, then there was nothing stopping them from hitting Earth. If the largest and fiercest military in the galaxy couldn't handle them, then... Hannah turned towards David Anderson and she had an overwhelmingly sad feeling that it would be the last time she’d ever see the man again. She closed her eyes to remember his face, and then said, “Take care of yourself, Anderson.”

He smiled up at her and looked back at his terminal. Hannah closed the door gently behind her and set off towards the detention centre. She’d said “take care”, but she really meant “stay alive”.


	11. For What It's Worth, I'm With You (or: There's No Shepard Without Vakarian)

Shepard wasn't sure what, or who, she'd find on Menae, but as she stared at the feeds of Palaven burning, she found herself praying to whatever force was up 'there' that Garrus Vakarian was safe. She felt Liara's worried eyes on her but she didn't meet the asari's gaze. They didn't need distractions now and, besides, they weren't here for Garrus... they were here for Fedorian. 

Even still, it couldn't prevent Shepard from scanning for Garrus as they entered the command outpost, and she almost asked Corinthus about him when they finally found the General, but she'd never let her personal life get in the way of her duties and she wasn't about to start now. 

"I'll get that comm tower operational, General."

As they walked towards the tower, she noticed Liara looking into some of the buildings and she swore that she saw her friend use a small biotic pulse to lift some of the tarps covering the too-many bodies they encountered. 

James noticed, too, "Are you two all right? You're both acting strangely, and it seems like you're searching for someone."

Liara and Shepard glanced at each other. 

"We have an old friend on Palaven," Liara said, repeating Shepard's words from earlier, "and it's become just a little distracting not knowing if he's all right."

She shot Shepard a pointed look. 

 _Are you going to be all right?_  

Shepard returned it. 

 _Maybe_.

James sighed, "He must have meant a lot to you guys."

Neither woman replied, and as they neared the comm tower, Shepard felt her adrenaline kick in, and not just because of the damned husks. What if Garrus was MIA? What if... what if she never saw him again? 

The thought was wiped from her head as one of the husks attacking the tower had noticed her and began running towards her, the godawful noise emanating from it like nails on a chalkboard. She levelled her pistol and brought the husk down with a single headshot with a spray of blood painting the ground behind it, the red fluid the only indicator of any trace of humanity left inside the thing. 

They picked off the last remaining husks and Shepard sent Liara up the tower. 

"Vega, you take two o'clock. I'll defend this position," she commanded. 

Wave after wave of husk came at her, and she found herself enjoying the different ways that she could kill them. Her shockwave was strong enough now, after she'd picked up a few tips from Jack, that the sheer force of it tore the husks completely in half. Electrocuting them was almost as fun, and they were easier to finish off as they stood in front of her, writhing with electrical current. She could see why Garrus had done so well as Archangel - killing things that deserved it was... well, it was a good way to keep your mind off of things, places, and people. But then, for her at least, it was also a good reminder of what you had to lose. 

"It's working," Liara said as she dropped down from the ladder and swept up three or four husks in a singularity, "nice shockwaves by the way - your biotics are becoming a serious force to be reckoned with."

Shepard shot her a smile and took down a husk getting too close over Liara's shoulder. "Thanks. It's fun ripping them apart."

Liara let out a worried noise. "You're taking your frustrations out on them."

"Of course I am; aren't you?"

"To some extent," Liara murmured, ducking as her singularity detonated and sent chunks of husk flying towards them. "We'll find him, Kate."

Shepard nodded but didn't look at her. "I hope so."

"Commander Shepard, come in. I've got word from Palaven command," General Corinthus' voice came over comms. 

"On our way."

*******

Liara walked behind her friend as they made their way back to Corinthus, studying her. She'd always been amazed at how much Shepard could shoulder without it seeming to weigh her down, but this was different. Shepard was distracted and more ruthless than usual. Liara knew that her friend had always -  _always -_ hated husks, and she'd seen the brutal way that Shepard had fought them, even before today, but this was different. 

Liara was worried about Garrus, too, but obviously her concern wasn't on the same level as Shepard's. Garrus was her friend, but he and Shepard had shared something so much more, and the way that Shepard was shuffling her feet and the lost way that she was meandering through the command outpost meant that, if they'd lost Garrus, then they'd lost Shepard too. 

However, as soon as they reached Corinthus, Shepard had straightened up and the Commander mask was firmly upon her face once more. 

"I need someone; I don't care who..." Shepard began. Liara distracted herself by staring up at Palaven and thinking of her time at the now-burning mountains when she was brought back by that voice...  _his_  voice. As the blue armor and white Mantis sniper rifle came into view, Liara almost dropped to her knees in relief. 

Oh, thank the Goddess. He was alive. She immediately looked at Shepard and noticed that her friend had let the Commander mask slip from her face. Relief washed over Shepard and her knees buckled slightly. Liara's heart leapt. 

"Garrus. You're alive," Shepard whispered. 

They shook hands, and Liara couldn't help but smile when he placed his other hand over Shepard's in an intimate gesture missed by everyone else except for the two of them and Liara. 

"I'm hard to kill. You should know that."

Liara wondered if Corinthus and the other turian soldiers were picking up on Garrus' body language and the broad smile that etched across his face as he looked at Shepard. If she hadn't witnessed the two of them together in the past, she'd likely have missed it, but now their nonverbal cues spoke volumes:

_You're alive._

_I missed you._

_I love you._

Shepard introduced James to Garrus, and Liara noticed how her friends’ eyes didn't part, except for when Garrus met James' very briefly as he shook the marine's hand. It was as if they couldn't believe that they were standing in front of each other, alive. It was like a silent embrace while still maintaining a professional facade. 

Garrus' eyes left Shepard's briefly as he gave Liara a warm handshake. "It's good to see you too, Liara."

"Glad to see that you're in one piece, Garrus," she said, giving him a warm smile. 

Even though they were in the middle of a war zone, Liara's heart sang. She hadn't lost Garrus, and she wasn't going to lose Shepard. She watched them carefully together, only half-listening to their conversation about the new Primarch, interjecting when she could, and realized how dense she must have been not to notice the incredibly loud unspoken language between them, though their mouths were saying something else. 

The slight tilt of Shepard's head:  _You all right?_  

Garrus' almost undetectable nod and tilt:  _I am now. You?_

And the corners of Shepard lips tugging upward:  _I am now_. 

So it was easy for Liara to leave them behind when Joker came over the comms about the Normandy acting strangely. As she was running back towards the shuttle, she heard the first part of their conversation:

"You coming, Garrus?"

"Are you kidding? I'm right behind you."

Liara smiled broadly as she stepped aboard the shuttle.

Together, at last. 

******

Shepard looked different. Her hair was darker and he couldn't tell if it had grown any longer than it was six months ago. She was wearing it up in a bun instead of down now, and it made it easier to see the dark circles under her eyes and the gaunt in her cheeks. But she was still beautiful, and those green eyes still shone with the same determination and spirit he'd fallen in love with. He kept staring at her in fear that, if he looked away for a moment, he’d look back and she’d be gone.

Garrus couldn't believe it'd only been six months. It had felt like another two years, even though he'd kept himself busy. He'd tried to get messages through to her personal address, but they'd always been delivered back to him, so he'd sent a message to Admiral Anderson to check in on her. Anderson assured Garrus that she was all right and that he'd try to let Shepard know that a certain turian was thinking of her, but Anderson’s updates about Shepard had begun to make him miss her more than he’d ever thought possible, so he’d stopped inquiring. And then the reports about Earth had come in and Garrus' gut had betrayed him by telling him to forget her and that she was probably gone, but here she was in front of him, smiling broadly at him as they ran towards the Harvester's drop zone. 

"Commander, you're never this happy to see _me_ ," Lieutenant Vega shouted at her. 

Shepard didn't reply but shot James a quick smile. Vega seemed like a good guy and was obviously a formidable opponent in combat, but he obviously hadn't been fighting with Shepard long - he was missing her hand signals and cues and he had charged straight into a hot zone. Husks were swarming him.

Shepard sighed beside him as she dropped a husk that was about to jump onto Vega's back. "I mean; I guess he's _technically_ covering our flank."

Her voice was like music to his ears - music that he didn't want to drown out with the battle marches usually playing over his visor. He'd missed just having her close to him, but he'd missed the sound of her voice most of all. 

The rest of the fight was a blur to him; taking down husks and marauders beside her was like being in heaven again. It invigorated him. He'd forgotten. 

But when she pulled a typical Shepard and fell face-first onto the ground out of the turret she’d been manning in front of one of the most massive Reaper monsters he'd ever seen, he remembered what it had been like to constantly have her six and the consistent heart attacks she'd given him. Especially after they'd made their feelings known to each other. 

But she never gave up. She sent an impressive shockwave to topple the husks where she'd retreated to, and then held her ground as the huge brute had charged towards her. Garrus sent a concussive shot its way and, along with Shepard's devastating head shots, the brute collapsed at her feet.

Garrus ran towards her and grabbed her shoulders, looking her over. "Are you okay?"

Shepard nodded, "Yeah. What the hell was that thing?"

"I don't know, but we should move. We need to get to the Primarch."

As he led them towards the Primarch's outpost, he felt his adrenaline surge and his smile threatened to become permanent. He'd seen so much loss and so much was going up in flames around him, but Shepard was here. It gave him hope and it reminded him of how it felt to be in love. He wasn't going to lose her again. 

"Double time it!" Shepard shouted, running towards where they were hearing obvious signs of attack. "No Reaper is taking this Primarch from me!"

Garrus stared after her, wincing as she disappeared from view. He increased his sprint and ducked into cover as he entered the outpost, searching for her. As the smoke dissipated, he saw her pop up from behind cover and take down a Cannibal with a powerful biotic blast. Her smile matched his.

"Damn, Shepard! Nice shot!" Vega said, throwing a grenade into the sea of Cannibals, Husks, and Marauders. 

"Watch your flank, Vega!" Shepard shouted at the marine. 

"Looks like we've got more inbound," Garrus shouted, grabbing his rifle. 

Another colossal brute had landed in the middle of the zone and it had charged Vega after the marine had unloaded a slug into it, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying into one of the buildings. Shepard checked her ammo and her body glowed blue as she looked at Garrus. 

"Let's make sure we all get out alive," she said gravely, "I'm not losing this Primarch."

"I'm on your six," he shouted, following her into yet another firefight.  

 _Just like old times_. 


	12. To Understand Love, You Must Also Know War (or: The New Primarch of Palaven)

Vakarian was acting strangely. He had been slightly more sullen and on-edge when Victus had first met him, but Victus had chalked it up to the war. But when Commander Shepard had approached him back on Menae, he'd immediately noticed the change in Garrus - he was relaxed and he stood taller. His voice also seemed to change when he'd heard the man speak to Shepard, too: the flanging intensified and Victus detected a hint of a smile on Vakarian's face whenever he looked at Shepard. They were obviously close, and Vakarian had spoken about Shepard before and sung her praises so it was certain that they were very good friends, but Victus still couldn't figure out the exact reason for the sudden change in Vakarian's demeanor. 

_Unless…_

Victus tried to shake it off. He had much, much more important things to be figuring out than the odd behavioral shift of the Advisor, but it was bothering him all the same. He looked down at the console in front of him and began to check the reports coming in from Palaven. 

"Primarch?"

He turned and came face-to-face with Commander Shepard, dressed in a loose N7 hoodie and pants instead of the armor he'd seen her in before. She looked tired and worn down.

"Commander," he greeted her, "thank you for the use of your ship and allowing me the space to work here."

"Of course, Primarch. Anything you need," she nodded. They began to speak of Earth and his stipulations about the krogan - Garrus had told him about Shepard's history with Urdnot Wrex, so he was certain that she was the only one that could broker such an alliance. If she seemed uneasy or hesitant about approaching Wrex for help, she certainly didn’t show it.

Shepard clasped her hands together when they spoke about Earth, and he could see her resolve start to falter. Although Garrus had told him that she’d grown up in space, it was still her home world that was burning, just as his was, and he could see the pain peeking out from behind the Commander mask. He knew how it was: he had his very own General mask… well, ‘I’m-the-Primarch-of-Palaven’ mask now, he supposed.

"Garrus said he was headed down to the main battery. Something about calibrations," Victus said, trying to change the subject.

Shepard's eyes lit up, "Sounds like Garrus."

"He's told me all about you and all of your accomplishments. Well, actually, he outright _bragged_  about you."

She chuckled and he saw pink swirl in her cheeks. He didn't know much about human expressions, but he could read this one: she was blushing. 

Curiosity got the better of Victus and he pushed a little, "You two are close, yes? Garrus seems like he's more comfortable on the Normandy than I've seen him anywhere else."

"We've been through a great deal together. It's nice having him on board again."

Ah, she was going to be coy. He could deal with coy.

"You know; I don't think I've ever seen Vakarian smile until today."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It was when he was looking at you."

Her blush deepened and he knew that he'd discovered the reason for Vakarian's strange behavior. Something was obviously going on between the two of them – something that was more than just friends, that much was blatantly obvious. 

Victus didn't know how he felt about it: for one thing, Shepard was a human, and turian-human diplomacy was still almost as bad as turian-krogan relations in some aspects. On the other hand, Vakarian had somehow managed to make  _Commander Shepard_ \- 'the' Commander Shepard - so taken with him that the woman who took down Sovereign, Saren, _and_ the Collectors blushed at the very mention of his name. Victus couldn't help but be impressed. It reminded him of... no, this wasn't this time to bring up old ghosts. And, besides, this was about Shepard and Vakarian... not him.

"He... uh, well... I was worried he hadn't made it off Palaven, and he was probably worried I hadn't made it off Earth so it was, um, likely a relieved smile that you saw him… uh, look at me… with?" she stuttered. 

 _And_  she was stumbling over her words. Commander Shepard, whom he’d heard was so confident and well-spoken, was fumbling for words. This was getting to be fun, and it was a welcome distraction from the horrid casualty reports he was being bombarded with. 

Victus decided to continue to play dumb. "It's strange though, don't you think? A soldier like Vakarian who can't even crack a smile until his old Commander strolls up? I mean, I didn’t realize that he was _that_ fond of you."

Shepard's eyes grew wide, "You were serious? That was the first time you'd seen him smile?"

"A genuine one, yes."

"Shit," she whispered, "has it been that bad?"

"Even before the Reapers invaded, I don't believe I've ever seen Vakarian act so natural and relaxed. Not even with his squad, and commanding seems to come quite naturally to him."

A small smile appeared on her face, but she didn't reply. 

"He means a lot to you," Victus murmured, inching slightly closer to her. He was done playing with her now that he could see the turmoil etching itself across her face. Her Commander mask was slowly being chipped away. 

Shepard nodded and clasped her hands together. 

"You mean a great deal to him, too, you know. I don't believe I've ever heard a turian hold a human in such high regard before," Victus continued, keeping his voice low.

"Thank you, sir, I'm glad to hear that," she replied, straightening up and embodying the professional, slightly-aloof attitude that he expected from someone in her position. The Commander mask was now fully repaired and firmly in place on her face again.

"You should probably go make sure he's settled in."

"Good idea, sir. It was nice speaking to you."

"You, too, Commander. Thank you."

Shepard walked up the stairs and tapped the exit sensor on the door.

"Oh, and Commander?" he spoke up, stopping her at the door. 

She turned and her green eyes bore into him in a 'what now?' glare. 

"I'm very happy for you two," he said. 

Shepard stiffened, but she gave him a sly grin, nodded, and then disappeared through the door. 

Victus returned to his console and smiled to himself. At the very least, it was one way to ensure the continuation of human-turian cooperation if they came out of this war alive. 


	13. Still Trying to Make Me Blush (or: Shepard Could Have Made That Shot in Her Sleep)

As they neared the Citadel and the message from Garrus popped up in her inbox with promises of having some fun, her heart leapt. She sent a quick “I’m in” reply to him and stood, a giddy smile plastered on her face, staring at the screen of her terminal. She zoned out for awhile, just imagining what kind of “fun” he had planned for the two of him, when Traynor’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Commander, Garrus mentioned that you two were going to get up to some fun today on the Citadel. Try not to have _too_ much fun.”

Shepard looked at Traynor and her smile grew even wider. “Did he tell you what we’re doing?”

The Specialist stepped back, surprise evident on her face at the delighted Commander in front of her. “You’re looking forward to it that much?”

Oh, shit. Shepard had shown her cards. She tried to save face, “Well… it’s just nice to spend some time with the people you care about away from all of the shit that we’ve seen.”

“Absolutely, Commander. And it will be nice for you and Garrus to have some time away to yourselves especially.”

Traynor knew something. That was too much of a hint to ignore. Shepard gave Traynor her very best interrogation stare. “Traynor? You want to say something to me?”

The smile on the other woman’s face was slight. “Whatever do you mean, Commander?”

“Quit the act, Traynor. Playing coy isn’t working for you.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t mean to be nosy, but haven’t you and Garrus been having ‘fun’ together for awhile now?”

Shepard opened and closed her mouth a few times, staring at Traynor. “Uh, well… is it that obvious?”

“A bit, ma’am. And Jack may have mentioned something when she came aboard to check out the ship and visit with Joker and EDI.”

“Of course she did.”

“I think it’s lovely that you’ve found happiness with someone like Garrus. He seems very taken with you, too.”

“He’s important to me,” Shepard said, shuffling her feet nervously. She didn’t know what it was about talking about Garrus in this context that made her so damn nervous. She was completely comfortable retelling their battle stories, but when anyone asked about _them_ … well, she was a wreck. Except for Tali… Tali had always been the person she’d been able to talk to about absolutely anything, but she hadn’t heard from her since she’d been released. Damn, she wished Tali were here. Traynor just wasn’t a good substitute and even Liara couldn't stand in for the quarian.

“It shows, ma’am. May I ask you another nosy question?”

“How nosy?”

“It might be considered a tad insubordinate.”

“You? Insubordinate? Now I have to hear it.”

Traynor smiled. “Is it different being with someone not of your species?”

“Hah! Of course it’s different. But I’ve never seen Garrus as anyone other than _Garrus_ even though he’s a turian and I’m not. I think if you’re with someone and all you see is their species, then you shouldn’t be with them.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

 _“We’re about to dock at the Citadel, Commander,”_ Joker said over comms.

“Thanks, Joker.”

“Have fun on your date, Commander,” Traynor said. “I’ll just be here… alone…”

Shepard rolled her eyes at the woman and walked towards the cockpit. The descent into the Citadel was always a treat to watch.

***

She felt normal as she sat in the car beside Garrus, trading banter back and forth. He was so relaxed and at ease that she forgot that they were currently in the midst of a war that would determine the fate of the entire galaxy. And that was what he wanted; the two of them taking time off to only be distracted by each other. And my, was he distracting. She’d never thought she’d ever be attracted to a turian – even her mother had been shocked when Kate had told her about them - but she just _was_. Those blue eyes and the way his mandibles formed a strong… chin?... it was oddly sexy.

_Commander Shepard, the xenophilic._

Shepard smiled as she remembered the look on her mother’s face when she’d finally told her. Hannah Shepard was not an easy woman to ruffle, but her mother had been seriously ruffled when she’d figured out that Kate was being serious about her relationship with Garrus. She’d been so nervous to tell her mother, who had fought in the First Contact War, that she was in love with a turian.

“Yeah, and next you’ll tell me that the krogan and salarians are making mating contracts,” her mother had said when Kate had finally revealed the truth.

And then her mother had stared at her in complete silence after she had told her that, no, to her knowledge the krogan and salarians weren’t in bed together, but that she was, in fact, in love with Garrus.

“Well, Kate, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. I’ve seen what they’re capable of,” Hannah Shepard had finally said, after many minutes of staring at her daughter with her mouth agape.

And, in a combat sense, Shepard understood where her mother was coming from. She knew how brutal turians fought against their enemies, and Garrus had always been a badass in combat, charging head first after her, protecting his teammates from enemies, and generally just being a perfect shot. It was generally well known that it was better to be on a turian’s good side than against him.

But, with her, Garrus was capable of so much more. He was funny, sarcastic, and caring and he made her smile more than she’d ever thought possible. Even in combat, when she was so focused on her objective, he’d crack a one-liner and she couldn’t help but smile. And she enjoyed trying to give it back to him.

“Ever had that one thing you wanted to do before you died, Shepard?” he asked her as the car zoomed through the Presidium.

“I’ve woken up with a turian next to me.”

“Still trying to make me blush, huh?”

“Until it works,” she replied, smiling over at him. She studied the side of his face and his scars and reached out a hand and lightly caressed it. “So, what’s your one thing?”

“When I worked at C-Sec, I would stare at the top of the Presidium and say to myself: ‘I want to go up there’, but I couldn’t. There were 137 regulations telling me I couldn’t.”

“So, you got them changed?”

“No, now I just don’t give a damn.”

Shepard laughed at him and he guided the car down effortlessly onto a spot on the top of the Presidium.

“Figured its time to do something stupid just for the hell of it. Might be the last chance we ever get.”

She got out and noticed that he brought out two sniper rifles from the backseat. He set them down on the ground and joined her as she enjoyed the view.

“Wow. This is so beautiful.”

He grunted in agreement beside her and then turned towards her, taking her hands in his and stroking them with his thumbs. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope it would inspire a certain… mood.”

Shepard turned towards him. “Something on your mind?” she asked gently.

He looked nervous. “It seemed like you needed some time to, uh, figure us out. Are you ready to become a one-turian kind of woman?”

The question was innocent, something that she’d been hoping he’d ask her. But it took her aback a little bit and made her question herself – _was_ she ready to commit to him? She bit her lip and looked up at him. There wasn’t any other answer but yes.

“The only thing that made leaving Earth bearable was knowing you were out there somewhere,” she began.

Shepard flashed back to seeing him on Menae and the utter relief that had overtaken her. Her adrenaline spiked and made her entire body shake just recalling the memory.

“I felt the same way. The worst part about the galaxy going to hell would’ve been never getting to see you again.”

Oh, it made her so happy to hear him say that.

“Well, here I am. Exactly where I want to be. I love you, Garrus Vakarian,” she murmured. She’d never actually said it out loud, but it felt so damn good to finally tell him. And it was worth it to see the surprised look on his face.

“Wow. The vids Joker gave me… well, they never got this far. I mean, there was the part about sleeping together but…”

She reached up and kissed him, shutting him up in only the best way. “Who needs a vid when you’ve got me?”

Garrus gave her a broad smile and kissed her back. Damn, he was getting good at that.

“So, what are the guns for?”

“Well,” he drawled, “before we head back, I thought we’d settle the score on who’s the best shot… once and for all.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, we all know that you can handle a gun, but can you actually make it dance?”

He threw her a gun and she gave him a playful smile. “Now you’re just _asking_ for embarrassment. There have been few people in the galaxy who have seen me in action, Garrus. They were pretty damn impressed.”

“And I’ve actually seen you dance, Kate. No comment.”

She gave him her best scowl. “All right, Vakarian. You’re going down.”

The first shot was easy, and the second one was easier, but she missed it on purpose just so that he could finally have one up on her. And as he raised his hands and declared it his favourite spot on the Citadel, she had to wholeheartedly agree.

“It’s windy up here.”

“There, there. I know that there are… other things you’re good at.”


	14. The Invasion of Omega (or: Sorry, Archangel, It Was Invite Only)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odd thought: whenever I encounter Aria in the game, I hear the song "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant play in my head. Take a listen and let me know if you agree that it suits her!  
> Also, no hate for L&O here. Olivia Benson is my spirit animal, but can you imagine ex-cop Garrus watching an episode? Hilarity would likely ensue.

Garrus awoke with a start, sitting straight up in the uncomfortable bed that he was sharing with Shepard on a nightly basis now.

_Hell, Vakarian, I’d rather have you in my bed than out of it. Make yourself at home. But don’t try to play with Mako. He’s a biter._

He looked up at the ceiling and relaxed slightly – they were still docked at the Citadel. He reached for Shepard, but her warm body wasn’t beside him. Maybe she’d gone out early to pick something up.

He stretched and rolled his head, working out the knots that plagued him every morning. It was worth it, though, waking up beside her. The fish tank gurgled and he sighed contentedly, heading for the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and then got dressed leisurely, and he was just doing up his armor clasps and staring at the model of the Destiny Ascension when Liara walked into the cabin unannounced.

“Oh! Garrus. I’m sorry – I’m looking for Shepard.”

“It’s all right, Liara. Had you got here any sooner and I was out of my armor, we may have got to know each other a whole _lot_ better,” he joked.

She smiled slightly. “Do you know where Shepard is? I need to place a requisition order, but I cannot find Traynor anywhere either.”

Garrus shook his head. “Kate’s probably ashore, buying another useless aquarium VI or a friendlier hamster. And Traynor… I’m not sure where that woman goes off to when we’re on the Citadel. Have you tried to hail either of them? And, why do _you_ need someone else to get something for you – can’t the Shadow Broker just have it dropped off or snuck into the Normandy’s cargo bay?”

Liara didn’t laugh, and the look on her face told him something wasn’t right. He started to feel the all-too-familiar panicked feeling rise in his throat.

“You _don’t_ know where Shepard is?”

“What is it, Liara?”

The asari looked down at her feet. He wanted to throttle her. “She… I think that she was going to meet Aria T’Loak this morning.”

“In Purgatory?”

“No, at Dock 42. She really didn’t tell you?”

 _Aria fucking T’Loak_. That explained it. “No, she didn’t. Did she say anything to you? How do you know this?”

Liara blushed. “No, but monitoring Shepard’s emails and communications has become a bit of a… um, hobby for me.”

Garrus sighed, “She’s not going to be happy when she finds out about that, you know.”

“She can’t really do anything about it… I’m the Shadow Broker. And, yes, to answer your question: I can have things delivered to me whenever I need, but Traynor always enjoys doing things for the crew, so I thought I would make her feel included.”

“Okay, well, we better get down to Dock 42. Shepard alone with Aria T’Loak makes me… uncomfortable,” he said, ignoring her last comment.

Liara nodded and they walked out of the cabin towards the elevator together.

As they entered it, he looked at her curiously, “So, anything in these emails I should know about?”

“You can always look for yourself if you actually came to see me once in awhile. You know, just because you’re sharing Shepard’s cabin now doesn’t mean that you can forget about us on the Crew Deck.”

He stiffened. “That’s not a ‘no’.”

“You might find some things interesting. Information is always interesting.”

“Right,” he sighed. Yet another distraction.

**

“Commander Shepard? Yeah, she was here. Met with Bray,” the docking attendant told them. “She got into a cab, they drove around a bit, and then it dropped her and Bray off here again.”

“Who else was in the cab?” Garrus asked.

“Couldn’t tell you, sir, but my money’s on Aria T’Loak,” the attendant replied.

“Bray is Aria’s, um, ‘right hand man’,” Liara murmured to Garrus.

“Great. This just keeps getting better,” he muttered, “Where did the Commander go afterwards?”

The attendant shrugged. “It looked like she walked back to the Normandy. She was muttering something to herself about getting a shuttle.”

This was starting to become like one of those shows from the 21st century that Shepard had showed him… what was it called again? Oh yes: _Law & Order_. He couldn’t understand how odd humans in the 21st must have been, enjoying watching a bunch of people walking around, getting clipped answers from random strangers, leading them usually on a wild goose chase and doing nothing more than a whole lot of talking. But that was humans for you: they _talked_ … usually incessantly. Turians either shot at, or fought with, each other and then got on with it.

When they arrived back on the Normandy, Liara suggested that they speak with EDI first, but Garrus had another idea where they could get answers: Steve Cortez. Cortez was the only human he knew, other than Shepard, that never needed a lot of sleep… in fact, Garrus wasn’t sure that Cortez _ever_ slept. He had to know something.

“What’s up, Scars?” Vega asked as Garrus and Liara entered the shuttle bay. His Mattock was disassembled on the bench in front of him.

“Scars?” Liara asked.

“Jimmy here is all about the nicknames, aren’t you, Vega?” Garrus said.

The marine laughed, “Some have said that about me, yes.”

“You haven’t come up with a nickname for me, James,” Liara said, not bothering to hide the jealousy in her voice.

“Ah, I’m sure I’ll think of something, Doc. What brings you two down here?”

“Where’s Cortez?” Garrus asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

Vega shrugged. “He and Shepard took the Kodiak out earlier and he was tinkering around with it after he got back, muttering something to himself about some kind of drive core issue. I don’t know, man. S’all Greek to me.”

“Wait, what did you say? He took _Shepard_ somewhere this morning?” Liara asked.

“Yeah. She was fully loaded up, too. I half-expected you to be with her, Scars. It looked like she was headed out on a mission, but she didn’t say anything to me. Maybe her and Cortez got up to something naughty,” Vega laughed.

Garrus rolled his eyes, but Liara let out a snort. “You don’t really believe that do you, Lieutenant? The Commander and Garrus are very much together, and Lieutenant Cortez doesn’t…”

“Liara,” Garrus sighed, “he was joking.”

“Oh. Yes. Yes, of course, I knew that,” Liara stuttered.

Vega looked at her, “I’ve got a nickname for you… Gullible.”

Liara opened her mouth to protest, but Garrus held up a silencing hand.

“Vega, _where_ is Cortez?”

The marine’s face darkened and his eyes widened with worry. “Shit, man, did you really not know anything about their little side trip?”

Garrus shook his head.

“Hey, Esteban!” Vega shouted, “Make your way over here, won’t you? STAT.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Vega. Keep your panties on,” Cortez said, appearing from around the side of the Kodiak, his nose buried in a datapad. He walked over towards the trio, his eyes still locked on his datapad. But, when he saw the three pairs of different feet on the ground in front of him, the man’s eyes widened.

“Uh…”

Vega puffed his chest out and crossed his arms, sizing Cortez up. “You gonna tell us where you took Shepard this morning, Esteban?”

“I’m not… I’m not supposed to,” Cortez muttered.

Garrus mimicked Vega’s position, and couldn’t help but notice Liara try to look formidable beside him as well. He would have laughed at her if his mind wasn’t wracked with worry and anger.

Vega snorted, “We’ll get the information out of you one way or the other.”

“You wouldn’t dream of it, Mr. Vega.”

“Okay, then consider this,” Liara spoke up, “Shepard disappeared without telling her _boyfriend_ where she was going, and you don’t want a pissed off turian after you, do you?”

Cortez didn’t say anything.

“Or, what about this,” she continued, her hands glowing blue, “I can hold you in singularity for as long as it takes. You have three choices: singularity, pissed off turian, or you can share with us where Shepard is.”

The man looked down at the datapad again. “Shit. I hate keeping secrets, but Shepard insisted that I shouldn’t tell anyone. Especially Garrus.”

Garrus was shocked. “What? Where did she _go_ , Cortez?”

“I took her to Aria T’Loak’s fleet.”

“Aria’s _fleet_?” Garrus stammered, “What the fuck?”

Liara was shocked, and she took a step back. “Oh, Goddess.”

“What do you know about this, Liara?” Garrus snapped.

“I’ve also been monitoring Aria’s communications. She’s been sending increasingly frequent messages to an asari named Jarral about returning to Omega and, um, _removing_ the Cerberus influence. Jarral would write back and they’d refer to someone that they were hoping to bring with them, but they only called this person ‘Sophia’. I ran searches and scans for anyone in Aria’s network named Sophia, but the name is incredibly uncommon and it didn’t return any known allies, employees, or even enemies. I assumed that it was a code name, but it was unclear who they were speaking of,” Liara replied.

“Shit, wait… _Sophia_?” Vega asked.

“Yes.”

“Damn.” Vega reached over the bench and pulled out a very old, leather-bound book. He flipped through it. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Garrus asked, growing increasingly impatient.

“I _knew_ it. Sophia is the Archangel of Love. Look,” Vega held the book in his face.

“I… uh, I can’t read that. What’s so special about this book?” Garrus said.

Liara took the book from Vega’s hands. “I can read it. Here… ‘Sophia, early on, was called identical to the Holy Spirit, and was human before being elevated to Archangel status. She seeks to bring reconciliation, forgiveness, and understanding, and is calm, observant, and an excellent listener, but she is also stern and unflinching. She is deeply scarred and wounded whenever one in her service suffers, even if they brought the suffering upon themselves. Sophia rarely accepts credit for what she does and’…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vega interrupted, “you’re missing my point.”

“Which is?”

“Sophia is the _Archangel_ of _love_ , Scars. And all that stuff that Liara just read? Sound like someone familiar?” Vega asked.

“Shepard,” Garrus whispered. Of course Aria would come up with such a loaded code name for her. Aria fucking T’Loak – he knew she was ruthless, but he never thought she was _smart_.

“I get it now,” Liara said thoughtfully. “Archangel of love… Archangel’s love.”

“You’re a little late to the party, Doc,” Vega huffed. “Damn. Never would have thought Aria would know anything about Scripture.”

Garrus was getting angry. At Aria, at Shepard, and at goddamn Omega. They should’ve just blown that rock out of the air. He turned to Cortez, his mandibles flaring violently, “Did you know about this, Cortez?”

“No, sir. She hardly spoke to me.”

“Fuck. And they were planning on going to Omega, Liara?”

“Yes, Garrus. That’s what I gleaned from Aria’s communications to this Jarral.”

“Then that’s where we go,” Garrus said. “Liara, let’s go have a chat with Moreau.”

She looked at him. “Garrus… do you really think that that is the best idea?”

“What?”

“Shepard didn’t want anyone knowing about this.”

“Because she knows that we would have stopped her!”

“You _know_ Shepard. She would have said something if it was completely necessary. She explicitly told Steve not to tell _you_ – she knew that you’d go after her. This must have been different. She wouldn’t have left us behind if she needed us. Especially you if she was going to Omega.”

“Aria T’Loak is nothing but bad news, Liara.”

“Garrus, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere with Aria if she didn’t think that she could handle herself.”

He ran a hand over his fringe and clenched his other fist in frustration, trying to prevent the anger from bubbling over. His primal instincts to destroy everything in his path and shoot everything and everyone in sight were becoming harder and harder to ignore.

_That’s what love does, I guess. Turns a guy like me into a nervous wreck with something to lose, and the aim to make sure he doesn’t. Nobody better hurt you, is all I’m saying._

Vega picked up on it. “Dude, you need to punch something, go ahead and take a round on my bag.”

“Appreciate it. But right now, I just want to watch the life drain out of Aria’s eyes.”

“Man, I don’t blame you.”

“Cortez, did Shepard give you any word as to when she was due back?”

“She said she’d be back on the Normandy within 24 hours, sir. I wasn’t needed to make a pick-up.”

“Okay,” Garrus said, finding his calm, “we give Shepard 24 hours and then we head to Omega.”

*** 

It had been hell to sleep in that bed without Shepard, so he hadn’t slept. He’d mulled about the ship for awhile, speaking with EDI now and then, but he found himself retreating back to her – their – cabin and just watching the fish swim back and forth. Kate’s terminal beeped as he was following the trail of one of the Illium Skaldfish with his finger, and he turned around and stared at the computer.

 _You might find some things… interesting_.

Damn it, Liara. She’d put thoughts in his head. He shouldn’t be going through his girlfriend’s private communications – Kate would be steaming mad. But, did that really matter now? She’d flown off to Omega with Aria T’Loak of all people… he was steaming mad at _her_. What harm could it be in just taking a quick peek?

He settled down at her desk, at war with himself, but he found himself opening her email. He scanned through them, noticing that she’d signed up for ANN news alerts, and there were the usual ‘thank you for saving my life’ emails, one from her to Tali to ensure that the ill-reported rumor that Kal’Reegar was dead wasn’t true (it wasn’t), but then… there were at least ten emails from one Kaidan Alenko. His heart began to pound and he let a growl escape his lips. Kate had told him about her history with Kaidan, but she’d never said anything about this many fucking emails. Garrus saw that she hadn’t replied to any of them; she’d just read them and left them there in her inbox… except for one. He opened the first one:

_Shepard,_

_What you said on Mars really threw me. When you get a chance, come by the hospital. I need to talk to you._

_Kaidan_

Then, another, ten minutes later:

_Shepard,_

_You’ll never believe it: Udina wants to make me a Spectre! I don’t know what to say._

_I really need you. If you don’t want to talk about Mars then that’s fine, but I want your opinion on this whole Spectre business._

_Kaidan_

Garrus clenched his fists. Even _he_ hadn’t messaged Shepard more than once, and what the hell had happened between them on Mars?

_Shepard,_

_Thanks for coming by today and clearing the air with me. I’m happy for you and Garrus._

_Kaidan_

So Shepard had told him. Good.

_Shepard,_

_I lied. I’m not happy for you and Garrus. After what happened on Horizon and then you telling me off on Mars… I know you’ve left us in the past, Shepard, but I can’t forget about our time together._

_We should talk. Message me when you can._

_Kaidan_

This was the email that had a draft reply from Shepard. One she’d never sent. It was marked the same day that Udina had staged the coup and Kaidan had come back aboard the Normandy.

_Kaidan,_

_Please respect my decisions and stop messaging me. If you want to talk about things, then we can talk face-to-face._

_I’m in love with Garrus. That should be enough for you to move on._

_I can’t_

Her reply cut off there. Garrus wondered why she hadn’t sent it, but his anger began to stir up in his chest again. Not at Shepard this time, but at Kaidan. He got up from the desk and hit the elevator down to crew quarters.

When the elevator opened, Liara was standing in front of the memorial wall, speaking to Kaidan.

“Garrus, good morning,” she began, “we were just speaking about Ash…”

He ignored her and set his glare on Kaidan. The man shrunk visibly. “What did she say to you on Mars?”

“Garrus… what are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that, Alenko. I saw the emails. What did she say to you on Mars?”

Liara put her hand on Garrus’ shoulder, but he shrugged her off.

Kaidan didn’t back down. He set his feet firmly and returned Garrus’ glare. “She told me that what we had was in the past. Case closed. It was before I even knew about you two.”

“And then you felt the need to continue emailing her after that?” Garrus growled.

“Liara? A little help here,” Kaidan said.

She shook her head. “I’ve seen the emails too, Kaidan. I believe that Garrus has the right to be confrontational about this, but may I suggest that we do this somewhere more private? This isn’t really a conversation for such a public area.”

Garrus had noticed the crew beginning to stick their heads out of the ether, their tired eyes wide at the scene in front of them.

Kaidan shook his head. “No way. You put us in close quarters and the bird’ll rip my head off.”

Liara let out a gasp and Garrus resisted the urge to actually rip Alenko’s head off.

“I’ll rip you limb from limb, you coward,” Garrus hissed, “Shepard is spoken for, whether you like it or not. She’s _my_ girlfriend… she chose _me_. Not you. Clear?”

 _“Garrus.”_ Came EDI’s voice.

“Not now, EDI,” he barked.

_“Garrus.”_

“EDI, _not now_ ,” he repeated, his eyes never leaving Kaidan’s.

But Kaidan was now looking over Garrus’ shoulder, a soft smile painted on his face. Garrus looked beside him at Liara and noticed that she had turned around, gaping, towards the elevator. He closed his eyes, already knowing who they were looking at. He may be sleeping elsewhere tonight.

Shepard stood there. Her face looked bruised and she was very obviously exhausted, but she was standing in her usual N7 hoodie, at attention, with a surprised look permeating through her Commander mask.

“Shepard,” Kaidan started, but her hand silenced him.

She stared at the rest of the crew, “Get back to your duties, _now_. The minute I see one more person standing around doing nothing is the minute you get scullery duties. _Dismissed_.”

Feet scrambled and the mess hall cleared except for Kaidan, Liara, Garrus, and Shepard.

She moved towards the scene in front of her. “What the hell is going on?”

Garrus’ anger hadn’t abated. He was still angry with her for leaving, and his anger for Alenko was still very, very present.

Liara, as usual, tried to keep the peace, “They were just arguing about… um, well, Garrus saw the emails Major Alenko sent to you, and Kaidan just made a very insulting slur, and…”

“How did you find these emails, Garrus?” Shepard asked, crossing her arms in front of her, her eyes fiery and her nostrils flaring.

“I showed them to him,” Liara lied, “I thought he may want to see them.”

Shepard held up her hand again. “Liara, you and I will speak about boundaries when it comes to my personal life later and in private. You’re dismissed.”

Liara opened her mouth to protest, but the look Shepard gave her could have made an elcor piss himself. The Shadow Broker nodded curtly and rushed back towards her office, muttering to herself.

Now, though, Shepard turned the icy glare towards Kaidan, stepping closer to Garrus’ side. “Am I going to regret having brought you aboard, Major?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Then what’s this all about?”

“He… he started it!”

“Stop it, Kaidan. You sound like a child. I thought we’d worked everything out between us and you understood that I am in a committed, faithful relationship with Garrus. I thought that we agreed to be friends.”

“We had. Vakarian here obviously didn’t see the other emails from me in regard to that.”

“This will _not_ be an issue again. Do you both understand?” she said firmly. “My personal life is not something that should be discussed with anyone but me, and broadcasting it all over the goddamn ship is a huge betrayal of my trust.”

“Of course, Commander,” Kaidan replied.

Garrus nodded gruffly, but he narrowed his eyes at Alenko. The other man didn’t meet his gaze.

 _I’m watching you, Spectre_.

Shepard sighed and waved Kaidan off. “Dismissed.”

Alenko turned on his heel back towards his quarters, and Shepard turned towards the elevator again, hitting the call button.

“I assume that you want to speak with me in private,” she murmured over her shoulder at Garrus.

He didn’t say anything, his fists still clenched. They rode up to her – their - cabin in silence, but the minute that the cabin door closed behind them, he began to lay into her, “What the _fuck_ were you thinking?”

Kate walked past him into the bathroom, but kept the door open. She splashed her face and he came to the sudden realization that what had looked like bruising on her face before was _dirt_ and maybe a little grease or oil. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. “It was necessary.”

“ _Necessary_? Are you kidding me? You were off gallivanting through, what, the sewers of Omega with Aria _fucking_ T’Loak and you just expected me to stay here and do, what, exactly? Not notice that you were gone? Spend 24 hours without even tuning into the fact that you were…”

“Have you ever heard of Nyreen Kandros?”

Her placid interruption and question caught him by surprise. “Uh, what?”

“Have you ever heard of Nyreen Kandros? She was ex-turian military.”

“No. Why?”

“She sacrificed herself today,” Kate said simply.

“Okay?”

“She was a fantastic soldier. Powerful biotic, too. It was hard to watch.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I wasn’t just ‘gallivanting through the sewers of Omega with Aria _fucking_ T’Loak’, Garrus. We liberated the station from Cerberus control. They were using it similarly to what they were doing on Horizon. You should have seen the sick experiments that they were doing there. It was unlike everything I’ve ever seen… compared to the adjutants, Banshees and Brutes are like newborn puppies.”

“Adjutants?”

“Like husks on steroids. Lots and lots of steroids. It was monstrous,” her face was full of horror as she closed her eyes and dragged her hands down her face.

He deflated and swept her up in a hug, grateful to have her in one piece. “I was going to come for you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone what was going on? Why did you tell Cortez not to mention anything to me?”

“I couldn’t. You’re Archangel.”

“You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry. But it was worth it, Garrus. I hate to say that, but now the Terminus Systems are no longer in Cerberus control. Omega is back in Aria’s hands, and we just secured a whole new angry army of people looking for revenge against the Reapers. The Alliance has a valuable asset in one of the Illusive Man’s most formidable generals and all of the intel and dirt that he’ll give us. I’m calling it a win.”

“You still should have told me where you were going.”

“Aren’t we protective today?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Aria. You’ve caught on to her particular brand of sarcasm.”

“Garrus, is this business with Kaidan going to be an issue?”

He looked at her. “You should have told me about that, too.”

“He’s harmless. And he gets it. I’m a… uh… one-turian kind of woman, remember?”

“I remember.”

“But the next time you have a grudge to settle, try not to do it in front of the _entire_ crew. I don’t want anything affecting morale. And I swear that I saw Traynor’s mouth open so wide that she almost dropped that damn toothbrush. Then I’d have to reimburse her for it again, and do you know how much that thing _costs?_ ”

Garrus widened his mandibles in a smile. “So, are you going to give me details? Is Omega still the… how did Miranda put it?... ah, the _pisshole_ that it once was?”

“It was worse, especially with those adjutants running around,” Kate answered, shivering, “You’d basically wiped out the Blue Suns, Blood Pack, and Eclipse influence, so the Talons became the leading merc band, and they were under good leadership, but with Nyreen dead…”

“Kandros, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Hmmm, it actually sounds vaguely familiar. Was she a defector?”

“I think so. She was a brilliant soldier, though, Garrus. And she died for the civilians of Omega. I hope that the Talons’ new leadership appreciates that and continue to make it about the civilians. And the remaining Cerberus troops are being taken care of, I imagine. Aria is more than livid; she and Nyreen were… together.”

“Wait… you’re telling me that Aria knows the meaning of love?”

Shepard chuckled. “Apparently.”

“It must have been hard for her. I… I can’t imagine watching the woman I love sacrifice herself. No matter how many people she saved.”

“Aria took it hard. She went into a biotic frenzy.”

Garrus gave her a pointed look.

“I know that you were talking about me,” she whispered, “And I’m sorry if you were a nervous wreck with me being gone, but…”

He cupped her face in his hands and bent to give her a long kiss, “It comes with being in love. But it’s worth it.”

She smiled against his mouth. “I haven’t slept in over 24 hours, but I could put aside another hour or two for some… catching up.”


	15. Talking and Dancing at the Same Time (or: There’s More Than One Way to Work Off Stress)

He’d fallen asleep down in the shuttle bay more than once and had, also more than once, awoke to Cortez standing over him, chiding him for staying up too late fine-tuning his ‘instrument’, so he readied himself for more abuse when he heard the noise that woke him this time. But the bay was quiet, except for two very distinct voices. They were getting closer to him, and he jerked up from the floor to hide behind his weapon bench, grabbing the pistol he’d been cleaning when he’d dozed off.

“Come on,” came the female voice. James recognized it almost instantly as Shepard.

The other was even more distinguishable: Garrus. “Shepard… there’s got to be somewhere else we can do this.”

“You suggested here. So, come on, let’s do this.”

Uh, _what_? James felt his body tense. He wasn’t just going to sit there and let them do their weird turian-human, interspecies _thing_ in front of him! He was about to stand up to announce himself when he heard Garrus chuckle:

“All right, but have I ever told you about this one time where I was one of the best ranked hand-to-hand combat specialists on a ship?”

“Not on this ship,” came Shepard’s teasing reply.

Ohhhhh… they were going to _fight_? James settled back down behind his bench and got comfortable for the show. He didn’t want to miss this.

“You sure you want to do this, Kate?”

 _Kate?_ Shepard’s first name is _Kate_?

“You’re going down, Vakarian. You may have reach… but I have flexibility.”

James almost groaned out loud; he was sure that that one was some kind of sex joke.

“I don’t think that will help you here,” Garrus replied.

“Neither will that cocky attitude of yours,” Shepard – _Kate_ – replied.

James peeked up from the bench. Shepard was standing with her fists cocked, but Garrus’ hands were down by his side and his knees bent… the wrong way of course, but he looked like a raptor or some kind of predator about to pounce on prey. And the way that his mandibles were flaring... well, _shit_. The man looked terrifying. James had never seen Scars look like that. He’d rarely seen the turian out of his armour either, but he knew that Shepard had… he shook the thought from his head and remained crouched, watching them intently as they got ready to spar.

“Why don’t you put your fists up?” Shepard asked.

“It’s not the best way to fight. You know how sensitive turian waists are – putting our hands up just exposes that part. Plus, turian hands aren’t really made for making fists.”

“Right.”

“You’ll tell me if it gets too rough?” Garrus asked, and James detected a hint of worry in his voice.

Shepard shot him a wicked smile, and he heard a rumble emanate from Garrus’ throat.

“Rough is my specialty,” she replied, winking.

 _Really?_ If they were going to do more flirting than fighting, then he was going to get up and tell them to get the hell out of his shuttle bay.

“Okay. Ready?”

“Ready.”

Garrus advanced on her quickly, coming in low to take her feet out, but Shepard was too quick for him, and hopped backwards, lodging a punch to his right mandible. It caught him off-guard and he staggered back, rubbing the side of his face.

“Already got you. This might be a short fight, Vakarian. Want me to go easier on you?” she said, her voice high and teasing.

“You wish, Shepard,” Garrus said through gritted teeth. He launched his body at her again, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to him, his other hand raised to strike. She spun around and launched herself over his back, twisting his arm awkwardly and painfully as she went. He released her wrist immediately, but he was quick enough that he reached around and grabbed her waist as she vaulted over him, and flung her onto the ground.

Shepard let out a grunt as her body hit the floor, but was back on her feet in an instant. Garrus took a swipe at her, but it went over her head when she ducked, and she grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled it forward, plowing her elbow into his back. He dropped to the ground on his hands and knees with a grunt.

“Getting old, Vakarian?”

“Nah, just warming up. Letting you tire yourself out first,” Garrus responded cockily, but he was breathing heavily.

James was never going to let Garrus live this one down, the turian hotshot. He knew Shepard was great in hand-to-hand, but she was _wiping the floor_ with Scars. He pinched himself: nope, he wasn’t dreaming.

“So, are you going to forgive me for Despoina?” Shepard asked through her breaths.

“Already did,” Garrus huffed, landing several hits to her torso, “you did what had to be done.”

James had been on Despoina with them. Shepard hadn’t seen the worried way Garrus had frantically paced and muttered to himself after her comms had cut out. James’d been sure that Garrus would have picked Cortez up and thrown him into the drink if Cortez hadn’t been in full panic-mode himself, trying to re-establish comms to the Commander and pacing himself. Some of the swears that Garrus had used hadn’t even registered with his translator, and it had been one of two times now that James had ever been afraid of the turian.

“Can you imagine if we got the Reapers to turn on each other? It would be like on Omega when I screwed with those mechs’ friend or foe recognition,” Shepard chuckled.

“It might be slightly different than that,” Garrus said, finally getting his large hand around her neck and bringing her down onto the floor with a kick that took out her feet. It was a swift, almost gentle move, but it got the job done, and James was impressed. Maybe Scars had it in him after all.

Shepard landed hard on her back and lay there for a moment after Garrus released her, her hands clasped over her belly.

“You okay?” Garrus asked.

“I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“About what?” he asked, helping her to her feet.

“Leviathan said something about how the Reapers’ objective is the preservation of life, but that it hasn’t happened yet. Obviously he wasn’t talking about the cycles that they’ve harvested as this ‘life’… but the Reapers are still alive, too, right? So, what _life_ could they have been talking about?”

Garrus stopped in his tracks thoughtfully, allowing her to land a hard blow to his stomach. He crippled to the ground onto his hands and knees, one hand holding the place where she’d punched him.

“Shit! Sorry – you all right?”

James could hear Garrus gasping for air and wished he was recording this. He could see the vid’s title now: _Commander Shepard Actually CAN Dance: MUST WATCH!_

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. That wasn’t fair.”

“I caught you off guard, you mean. It was totally fair.”

Garrus stood, but put up a hand. “Damn. I need to sit down. Maybe you’re right: I’m getting old.”

He approached James’ workstation and sat on one of the crates close to it. James stiffened where he’d been crouching.

Shepard walked over to Garrus and sat down on his lap. “Thanks for dancing around with me a bit. It was fun.”

“Well, you can't actually  _dance_ , so I'm surprised at how well you spar. You’ve still got it, honey.”

She punched him in the shoulder and then draped her arm lazily over the back of his crest, her hand reaching up and stroking his fringe. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Which one?”

“What _life_ do you think that Leviathan was referring to?”

“I don’t know, Kate. Maybe in another galaxy? Maybe the Reapers need to come out to… uh, _feed_ every 50,000 years or so? It could have meant anything. I don’t really know what to tell you – you know I’m not great with… uh, words.”

She sighed. “I guess, yeah.”

“But at least the Leviathan are fighting on our side for now, right?”

There was an extended silence and James began to cramp up. He was either going to have to stand up or suck it up, but the only thing he hated worse than a cramped calf muscle was a lecture from his CO, so he truly just had the one choice. This might be a long night.

“Look,” Garrus said to Shepard as he lovingly brushed a lock of her errant hair out of her eyes, “I wish that I had all of the answers for you, but I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That you are going to kick the Reapers so far back into whatever hellhole they crawled out of and _then_ you’ll go to work on them.”

“And it'll be done stylishly with you by my side, of course.”

Garrus chuckled, “Of course.”

“You know I love you, right?”

Shepard bowed her head and kissed Garrus fiercely on the mouth and Garrus squeezed her waist, making her throw her head back and laugh. James was in awe: he’d never seen either of them like this. They were always professional and even a little uptight when they were in combat or around the ship, but now they were relaxed and almost like two giddy teenagers. It should have sickened him, but it was almost refreshing. It was making him start to rethink his ‘no-fraternizing’ rule. Too bad Tali was involved with that quarian marine: he’d like to find out what was under that suit.

The two were still entwined when James’ calf muscle went completely numb. His leg gave out from under him, and he came toppling out of his hiding place, laying flat on his back, clutching his now stiff and sore calf muscle. Fuck, now he was going to experience two things he hated.

The look of surprise on Shepard’s face was overshadowed by her embarrassment as she disconnected her face from Garrus’ and stood up abruptly.

“Damn it, Vega!” Garrus said, “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to watch you get your ass beat, Scars,” James grunted, still trying to work the painful cramp out of his calf muscle. He’d take getting shot over this shit any day.

Shepard walked towards him and stood over him, her hands on her hips. “I seem to recall that you didn’t fare much better when we first met, Lieutenant.”

“Yeah, but he was actually _trying_ with you, Shepard. You knocked him flat on his ass more than once.”

“Where do you think she learned it?” Garrus piped up.

Shepard crossed her arms and stared down at James. “Need help up, Vega?”

“I’ve got a cramp. Just leave me here to die.”

“Suit yourself,” Garrus said, getting up and making his way to the elevator.

She got low and in his face. “Not a word of this to anyone. Got it?”

He gave her a sly look. “Whatever you say, _Kate_.”

The kick to his leg was exactly in the spot where he had the cramp. He’d much sooner have had the lecture.


	16. Relationship Aid Vids Never Get Anything Right (or: The Joke's on You, Joker)

Shepard needed a little time away from it all... time away from everyone and everything and all of the damn responsibilities, and now was the best time to do it. They were still docked at the Citadel, awaiting Hackett's all-clear before heading for Cyone, and it would give her a few hours to just be by herself. Independence was beginning to become a luxury and while she realized the significance of having those she loved around her when others in the galaxy had lost everyone they'd ever loved, she was grateful for some time alone with her book. 

She crept out onto the Crew Deck and towards the lounge. She'd thought about staying in her cabin, but the change of scenery was nice, and most people where off-ship, getting in some shopping at the Citadel, or drowning their sorrows and worries at Purgatory. Even Garrus had gone onto the station, claiming to be going to buy something, but she'd received a short message from Commander Bailey about how she may have to carry Garrus out of his office after they were done having a 'few' drinks. She'd forwarded it to Vega and told him to keep an ear to the ground. 

Shepard reached the door of the lounge when she heard a slight whimper behind her. She knew exactly who was there when she turned: Alenko. He'd been like the proverbial lady in white of the ship: haunting the hallways and drifting in and out, seemingly with nowhere to go. 

"Kaidan, if I give you some credits, will you please go get yourself a private dance at Purgatory?"

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Because you whine like a little lost puppy every time you take a step. Life as we know it may be over soon, Alenko - treat yourself. Got it?"

Kaidan nodded at her. "I actually know one of the dancers there. An asari. Maybe she's working tonight?"

"Maybe," Shepard replied, impatient. 

"What are you doing?"

"Counting the seconds until this conversation ends and I can have time by myself."

He held his hands up, "No need to get fiesty, Commander. I'm going."

She watched the elevator doors shut behind him and then hit the entry command to the lounge. She ran her hand over the book fondly. It was an old collection of poetry from over two hundred years ago that Kasumi had... acquired... and given to her after the Collector base. She couldn't wait to...

"Commander," came the slurred speech of her pilot. 

"Joker?" she asked, exasperated and surprised to find him there, drinking. "Uh, you realize that we're on call, right?"

"I have a co-pilot. She can get us wherever we need to go," he said, downing the last drops of liquid on his glass. He looked at it incredulously, "I swear that there was more alcohol in this glass of mine a minute second ago."

Shepard looked at her book again. No way she was going to be able to read it now. Maybe she could read it before she went to bed? Not likely; she was either engaged in extracurricular activities with the turian who had recently claimed her cabin was now their "shared quarters", or she was so exhausted she would fall into bed without taking her clothes off. Lady Barrett Browning would just have to wait. 

She walked behind the bar and poured herself a drink. 

"So, you going to tell me why you're down here? And why you're sloshed out of your mind?"

Joker looked up at her hazily. "I have a question for you."

She sighed, "Shoot."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Things..."

"What kind of  _things_ , Joker? I do a lot of things." 

"Things... with Garrus. I mean, he asked me for vids and all when you two first got together, but I never actually watched them. Did they help?"

"Uh, I'm not talking about that with you."

"Well, I want to talk about it."

She rested her elbows on the bar and her chin in her hands and looked at him inquisitively. "What's really going on here, Joker? You can just get EDI to tell you what you want to know."

"Bah!" he said, waving her off. The sudden action made him teeter on the stool, and he flailed, but he caught himself. 

"Ah. What happened with EDI? You two have a fight?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and took a sip from his empty glass. "I'd rather talk about your sex life."

"Joker..."

"Okay, okay! Yes. You caught me. We had a fight," he sighed. 

"About what?" 

"She wanted to hang around the Preisdium all day and observe people... she's always observing people. I wanted to grab a bite to eat and then maybe take a walk down by the krogan statue."

"And?"

"And... she told me that she observes how females and their male partners interact so that she can interact with me 'better'. I told her that she didn't need to, that I was happy with her... just her. And she became... well, angry. She yelled at me and then stormed off."

Shepard looked at him, her mouth open slightly. 

"Women!" Joker continued, "I can't understand any of them whether they're organic or synthetic. What did I do wrong, Shepard?"

She shrugged, "Honestly? It could be a few things - maybe you should have appreciated her efforts a little more. I feel like you're not telling me the whole story, though. What exactly did you say to her?"

"Well..."

"Joker, you're cutting into my 'me' time, and if I don't get at least ten minutes to myself today, I'm sending Garrus to bunk with you tonight."

The pilot hung his head. "I may have said that she was 'good enough' at some point during our conversation."

"Oh, Joker..."

"I know. It was stupid. And I apologized for it - I didn't mean it like that."

"That's universally insulting, regardless if you're organic, synthetic, or otherwise."

"But would you have stormed off if Garrus said something like that to you?"

"Okay, first, Garrus would never say anything like that."

"Hah! What makes you so sure?"

"Because he knows better than to use the words 'good' and 'enough' together when describing anything about our relationship or me. He wouldn't even say that in a professional capacity. Jeez, Joker, were you born under a rock?"

"You know, I'm glad that I can come to you about these things and you can give me a solid, non-judgmental shoulder to cry on. You're a real pal, Commander."

She'd been too hard on him. "I'm sorry, Joker. That was harsh."

"S'all right, Commander. Shoulda known better than to say that to her."

"Is this the first relationship you've ever had?"

The pilot looked conflicted. "I mean... well, no. There were girls I fooled around with and one girl told me we were dating back in flight school, but that lasted like a week. So, actually... maybe... yes?"

"And it's certainly not the most conventional relationship."

Joker snorted, "Speak for yourself."

Shepard ignored him, "So you've got a steeper learning curve than most. So what? That's where the fun is."

He met her eyes and she could see hope through the haze of alcohol-induced woe. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I know so. It's being able to stumble through the challenging parts together that make it so worthwhile. These little hiccups make you stronger. But take this as a lesson. There are three phrases you never say to any woman: calm down, stop talking, and anything containing the phrase 'good enough'. Got it?"

"Yeah, thanks Commander. You're more helpful than any relationship aid vid... they just say to buy her chocolates and flowers, but if she can't eat the chocolates or smell the flowers then... well, I thought I was shit outta luck."

"You're welcome."

Joker pushed the glass away, but remained sitting at the bar. "You and Garrus ever fight?"

"We have had a few disagreements."

"Like on Despoina? Oh, or after Omega? He was so pissed at you!"

"Despoina was nothing and we worked it out after Omega. Garrus is loyal and passionate and he is fiercely protective," she said, smiling to herself, "and sometimes that passion and loyalty and protectiveness combine to create a bit of a perfect storm where he thinks I'm made of glass and I disagree."

"Like when he swore a literal blue streak in my ear after the docking tube on that geth dreadnought dislodged and he thought you'd gone with it. Then he almost threw himself out the airlock after you."

It reminded her of how she'd wanted to write Dr. Michel a little note with a not-so-subtle message to back off. Tali had even offered to encrypt it, just as she'd done with a marine that had propositioned Kal'Reegar. Tali was the only one who knew how jealous it had made Shepard, and she certainly wasn't going to let Joker in on it. 

"I guess so. But he trusts me, too. He knows I can handle myself. Garrus will challenge me, but he never undermines me. He's got my back... always."

Joker let out a large, dramatic sigh, "Relationships don't come with a manual, do they?"

"Wait, EDI didn't come with a manual?" she joked, "I swear that I saw one in the AI core once."

"Ha ha. Laugh it up, Commander."

"You could write one, Joker. You could call it 'Women: If You Can't Hack 'Em...'"

"Have you always been this funny?"

Shepard laughed. It was nice to be able to make jokes at his expense for a change. "Of course I have! You've never noticed?"

He shook his head fiercely and then laid it down on the counter of the bar with a groan. "I guess I should apologize to EDI."

"Why don't you rest, first? You're in no shape to be wandering around the Citadel right now."

"Whatever you say, Commander," Joker yawned. 

Her omnitool beeped and she brought up the call. "Commander Shepard here."

"Commander. Good to see you again. This is Executor Chellick. We've got a... situation here in the embassies."

"What's going on?"

"It's slightly embarrassing for both of us, ma'am. C-Sec got noise complaints from Commander Bailey's office and when our officers responded, one of your crewmen offered them some kind of rare tequila before shutting the door and locking it when they refused."

"Vega," she muttered. 

"We wondered if you could swing by the embassies and diffuse this?"

"Of course, Executor. Did your officers say anything about Garrus or Bailey?"

"They didn't, but one did say that he heard two other voices laughing behind your marine."

"Right. Thanks, Chellick. I'll be right there." She cut the call and then rubbed the space between her eyes. 

"Who was that?"

"The Executor. Seems that you weren't the only one who thought day-drinking while we're on a call was a good idea."

"Who's getting benched now?"

"Garrus and Vega."

"Uh oh. Garrus in the doghouse?"

"Depends on what I find."

Joker picked his head up off the bar at looked at her with feigned horror. "You're not still planning on sending him to bunk with me, are you?" 

She gave him a quick smile. "I didn't get my ten minutes."

He groaned and laid his head down on the bar again. 

Shepard walked out onto the Crew Deck and headed for the elevator, still carrying her book. 

"EDI, you hear all that?"

_"Yes, Shepard. Thank you for speaking to him. I suppose that I will forgive him."_

"Get that body of yours back here and kiss and make-up, all right?"

_"Yes, Shepard. Though I have a question. What is a doghouse?"_

Shepard laughed, "It's a fictional place where men go when they've told you that you were 'good enough'."

_"I see. Cataloging this for future reference. Also, were you serious about sending Garrus to bunk with Jeff?"_

"No, EDI, that's what the couch is for."

_"Cataloging that for future reference."_


	17. Noise Complaints (or: What Diet Doesn't Allow Tequila?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the title from Jurassic World :) Thanks to those who gave me the idea to write this! It was fun to imagine these drunken idiots, and I hope that it makes you laugh and smile!!
> 
> Also, found this when I was searching for if turians could drink tequila: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/995452-mass-effect-3/62397938?page=2 - scroll down to the comment in the middle of the page from the username xmikeyxlikesitx where it begins with "I'm sorry, but I work at the UCLA Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics...." and let me know your thoughts!

It hadn't taken him long - maybe five minutes - after Shepard had sent him a message to check in on Garrus and Commander Bailey to spend most of his savings on the best bottle of tequila he could find down on the Silversun Strip and head up to the Embassies, a shit eating grin on his face. After all, he could be dead next week and - honestly - what was the use in having money if you couldn't buy something you enjoy with it? And he enjoyed tequila... oh, yes, he very much enjoyed tequila. 

"Can turians drink this stuff?" he'd asked the merchant. 

"This is pure blue agave tequila from the deserts of Mexico, straight from Earth. It might burn a turian's throat, but it'll probably burn yours, too," the merchant had answered with a slight twinkle in his eye. 

That had been good enough for James, but he picked up some turian brandy too, just in case. Ole Scars better feel special that he was thinking of him. 

When Vega arrived at Bailey's office, he could already hear loud laughter coming from inside. He punched the door sensor and entered the Commander's office, hands held high with his spoils above his head. 

"Hola, amigos! Waiting for me to start the party?" he said. 

Garrus laughed and motioned at James to the other men in the room. "Sergeant Haron, Commander Bailey, this is Lieutenant James Vega."

"Pleased to meet you boys," James said, nodding his head at them. "Hey, Esteban, you decided to stop moping around Purgatory?"

"Shit, Mr. Vega, is that tequila I see?" Cortez asked. "Wait, why am I even asking? Of course it is."

James gave him a broad smile. "You know it. The finest, purest blue agave tequila money can buy. And some turian brandy, just in case these two can't join in on the fun."

Haron gave Garrus a look. "I've never had tequila. Have you, Vakarian?"

Garrus got up and walked over to James, peering at the bottle of tequila. "I haven't. Not sure if it would kill me or not."

"But isn't that part of the fun?" Vega said, "Do you boys want to rub a little on your wrists and do a spot check or something?"

Commander Bailey erupted in alcohol-induced laughter, "Come on, boys! You could both be dead next week anyways. What's a better way to be posthumously remembered - died in a fight with a Reaper or went out in a blaze of glory from a shot of tequila? I'd take tequila over a damn Reaper any day."

Garrus' mandibles flared and he gave the Commander a wicked smile. "Damn, Bailey. Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth."

Haron nodded. "You're telling me!"

"The pendejo who sold me this said that it would probably be okay. I mean, it's just agave, right?" Vega said, egging the turians on. "No protein or anything to screw with your DNA - just delicious, pure, sweet agave nectar of the Gods. Uh, Spirits... whoever you answer to."

Garrus gave Haron a look and shrugged, "Give me a little. We'll see how it sits with me."

"Be careful, Vakarian. Shepard would tear me three new assholes if you die on my watch," Bailey said. 

"She'd decapitate both you and Vega and strap your heads to the front of the Normandy and drive around with them on like war trophies," Cortez chimed in.

Bailey made a face, raising his eyebrows, and took another swig of his beer, "Don't joke about that. I believe it."

"What about you, Cortez? You're not innocent in this either!" Garrus laughed.

"My head would likely go on the front of the Kodiak. Not a bad place for it, I guess. Better than on the front of some Mako," Cortez shuddered. 

Vega poured the tequila for the men and they cheersed in the centre of the room. He downed his and watched as Cortez and Bailey did the same. Garrus and Haron each took cautious sips, and then shuddered, each turian visibly disgusted. 

"So, Vakarian, Haron - which one of you is going to keel over first?" Cortez asked. 

"Probably Haron. He's not as seasoned as I am."

"Bullshit, Vakarian. You've been off the job too long. Plus, I feel fine."

"You know what they say... age and wisdom," Garrus shot back at Haron.

"Yeah... that's not what they say," Vega chuckled. 

Garrus shrugged, "Let's wait a bit before we have some more. I just want to make sure that I won't have to be carried out in a body bag. My head would probably go centre on the front of the Normandy, or she'd feed my body to the husks. I'll take that brandy, though, Vega."

Vega tossed Garrus the bottle and watched as his friend poured himself a sizeable glass and then he turned to Haron and filled his, too.

"If you don't die, Shepard may kill you for drinking that much, you know. We're on call," Vega said. 

"She'll forgive me. She usually does," Garrus replied, taking a large sip of his brandy. "Damn, now  _that's_  good."

"So how'd you manage to land a woman like Shepard anyway, Vakarian? Most human women don't make a habit of dating turians," Haron asked.

"Shit, Haron, you sound almost disappointed!" Bailey laughed. 

Haron didn't say anything but just looked down at his glass. "Yeah, well, women are hard to figure out... no matter what species they are."

Garrus looked at him. "I wish I could give you some good advice, Sergeant. I really don't know how it happened. One minute I was explaining to her how turians prepare before high-risk missions and the next thing I knew she was asking me to sleep with her. Well, propositioning me. Then it just turned into something more."

"And you're attracted to her? I mean, she couldn't get much different from what you're used to, right?" Cortez asked. 

"Damn right I am. It's more than just a physical attraction. Shepard is one of the most fearless, caring, and determined women I've ever met. I respect the hell out of her. And I... I love her. Simple as that. Doesn't matter that's she human," Garrus answered, taking another hearty swig of his drink. 

"She's an incredible soldier, sir. You're very lucky," Haron said.

"But she can't dance worth shit!" Cortez slurred.

Vega shot Garrus a look, "Ah, I wouldn't say that. Shepard can dance when it counts. Have I ever told you about this one time when..."

"You know what, Vega? I might try another shot of that tequila now," Garrus growled. "And, thanks, Haron. I am very lucky."

"So, how the hell do you two... you know?" Vega asked, taking another shot, "Is it the same as, say a human man and woman going at it?"

"Uh,  _what_?"

Bailey was overcome by a fit of giggles, and Vega tried to ignore the usually-stoic Commander's burst of "tee hee"s as he spoke. 

"You know..." Vega made a circle with his thumb and pointer finger and began to move the pointer finger from his other hand towards the circle suggestively. 

Garrus and Haron were staring at him, very obviously shocked, and Cortez had slapped a hand on his forehead and was shaking his head. But Commander Bailey had fallen off his chair and was doubled up in laughter on the floor. 

"I mean, hey! I'm just asking!" Vega shouted. "You guys aren't at least a little curious as to how they manage to... you know?"

Cortez walked over to the bottle of tequila and poured himself a full shot before downing it and then passed the bottle to Vega. "Though I don't think you need any more liquid courage, Mr. Vega, you might not want to remember asking two turians if their anatomy resemble anything close to your index finger."

"Pour me another, too, Cortez!" Bailey shouted from the floor. "I don't want to remember  _any_  of this!"  

Garrus had given Haron a sly smile and had downed the rest of his brandy. It looked like he was beginning to sway a little. "Nah, Vega. Turians don't even have sex."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. We mind-meld similar to what the asari do. Other than that, it's basically just light over the clothes action, hand-holding and swaying, and lots of intense high-pitched screeching noises."

"You're shitting me." 

"No way. Kate and I just sit there and feel each other up mostly, but you gotta do the noises, though, or else it doesn't count."

Vega stared at him, his eyes glossy. For a minute, it looked like he was going to believe Garrus. 

"Stop yanking me around! And never, ever say 'feel each other up' and Shepard's name - either of her names - in the same sentence ever, ever again," Vega shouted, suddenly seeming to get his common sense back.

Garrus laughed, "Well I'm certainly not going to tell you whether or not Shepard and I do anything similar to what you just did with your hands. I don't think my hands can even  _do_  that.

Haron leaned forward. "No, really, how  _do_  you guys do it? I mean, hey, if it'll up my chances with Mariana then I'll take any pointers."

"Literally, if you're talking about James' fingers!" Cortez piped up, securing his spot at the peanut gallery.

Another burst of laughter from Bailey on the floor. His laughing fits had moved on from the giggles now, and he was full-out chortling. Bailey's hand shot up and felt around for his glass on the table, knocking over papers and a few data pads. The other men in the room paid no attention to the hot mess Bailey was fast becoming.

"I'll send you some vids that Moreau sent to me, Haron. Just make sure that you watch them privately and behind a locked door," Garrus answered. "And with the volume down really, really low."

"Yeah, and somewhere where a certain asari doesn't walk in to ask you a question and finds you watching said vids. And then chastises you for 'calibrating' yourself!" Cortez shouted again, pouring himself another shot of tequila. 

"Liara told you that?" Garrus hissed. "That was just... uh, research!"

"Esteban, how come you never told me about this?" Vega asked.

"Didn't think you'd hear me over some of the vids  _you_  watch, Mr. Vega."

James poured himself another shot of tequila. 

"I'll cheers to that!" he said, raising his glass. The only other man who raised his glass in the room was Bailey, who was holding up an empty glass, upside down, still on the floor, and who had now returned to giggling like a little girl.

***

Shepard heard the loud laughter the minute she walked up the stairs towards Bailey's office. It sounded like there was more than just Vega, Garrus, and Bailey in there, and she swore she could hear someone  _singing_. 

Executor Chellick and a few other C-Sec officers stood outside of the door, talking amongst themselves. They quieted as Shepard approached.

"Commander Shepard. Good to see you again," Chellick said with an outstretched hand. 

Shepard shook it heartily, "Likewise, Chellick. Congratulations on making Executor, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm sorry to have to bring you into this situation, but as you can hear, it's gotten a bit out of control. And while I don't blame them for wanting to let loose, perhaps they could have chosen a better place? Like your ship, for example... or Purgatory."

"We're in the middle of a war, Chellick. But I can understand your concern. It's like there's a wild bachelor party going on in there," she said. Suddenly, she snapped her head towards one of the officers, "You haven't seen any dancers or strippers go in there', have you?"

The officer chuckled, "No, ma'am."

"Good. So what'll happen to Bailey? Drunk on the job is never a good thing," she asked Chellick.

The Executor's face softened. "Commander Bailey is probably the best thing that's happened to C-Sec. He's been through a lot. I'll just send him home."

"What about Sergeant Haron, sir?" one of the officers asked. "He's in there, too."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something for him," Chellick snapped, "Shepard, I need your Spectre authority to override the lock on this door."

She nodded and tapped her omnitool and one of the C-Sec techs bent down over the lock. 

The door opened and Shepard and Chellick stepped into the room. She gaped and resisted the urge to laugh as she took in the scene unfolding in front of her.  

Bailey was passed out on the floor, and the rest of the men had surrounded his sleeping form with empty glasses like corpse chalk. In his hand he clutched an empty glass, and he was snoring very loudly.

Cortez was in the midst of a very animated story, holding his arms out to the side like wings and standing on one leg, jumping up and down and looking more like a scared chicken than anything else. 

"My Trident!" Cortez was repeating, "My TRIDENT!"

Vega had no shirt on and was standing in the middle of the room, flexing his muscles in what she could only compare to what she'd seen Grunt do a few times. The Lieutenant was double-fisting it with what was definitely tequila and what looked like turian brandy. And he was loudly humming the tune of _La Cucaracha_. 

Haron was listening intently to Cortez's story, cupping his glass in two hands like a small child sipping out of their big-boy mug.

And Garrus. Garrus was seated on the floor, his knees up to his chest, surrounded by beer bottles and nursing a full glass of brown liquor. He was rocking back and forth and was staring at Cortez with an open mouth.

"That sounds about as bad as Shepard driving the Hammerhead!" Garrus slurred at Cortez, "So many walls! So much lava!"

But as soon as they all noticed that Shepard had entered the room, the men whipped their heads towards her and all fell eerily silent. It was like catching a bunch of raccoons eating out of the trash. 

Cortez lost his balance and fell over behind the couch, grabbing a nearby lamp and bringing it crashing down on top of him. 

"I'm okay!" he shouted, a single fist appearing from behind the couch. 

She crossed her arms and glared at Garrus. He returned her stare and gave her a bright smile, his blue eyes sparkling. Shepard felt the urge to smile back at him - this was just too damn funny - but they needed to be professional now, and this... this scene in front of her was about as far from professional as it got. 

"What fresh hell is this?" Vega muttered, stopping the humming but still flexing. 

Suddenly, Bailey woke up with a shout, sitting straight up and knocking over the glasses that had been so perfectly placed around him. He staggered to his feet and noticed her, narrowing his eyes at her and shielding them from an invisible sun.

"Wha-what? Shepard... that you?" Bailey slurred.

"Yep," she replied, biting down a laugh.

Bailey sat abruptly in his desk chair and put his hand up to his mouth.

"It's the ball and chain!" he whispered, intending it for Garrus, but his hand was on the wrong side of his face, so Shepard heard it clearly. 

Chellick walked into the room. "Haron, get home and sleep this off. You're going to be up to your fringe in paperwork tomorrow. And, Bailey... I'll have someone escort you home. Mariana, Dilan... you two stay here and make sure Bailey gets home all right."

Sergeant Haron nodded at Shepard as he walked past her and then gave the officer Chellick had called Mariana a sweet smile. She smiled back at him and he seemed to lose his balance, tripping over his feet and grabbing out for something to steady him. What Haron grabbed wasn't a rail or an arm or even a wall... it was the woman's boob. 

It was as if time stood still and the men in the room all looked at Haron with wide eyes. And then they all burst into full-fledged laughter simultaneously.

"That's the way to get her attention, Haron!" Garrus shouted. 

If turians could blush, Haron would have been a shade of bright, bright red. He fell to his hands and knees, shaking his head and muttering something to himself before crawling off down the hallway. 

Shepard leaned and watched him go until she couldn't see him anymore. At least now she could say that she'd seen a turian crawl. 

"Get up, Sergeant!" she heard Chellick shout, "You're in public. Spirits!"

Mariana gaped after Haron and then straightened back up, her cheeks blazing red. "Commander Bailey, do you need help up?"

Bailey sighed and crawled out of his chair and lay back down on the floor. "Leave me here. The floor is so cold and nice."

Shepard looked at the two officers. "Maybe just go and get a blanket? He can sleep it off on his couch."

They nodded at her and walked out. 

Chellick looked at Shepard and bowed his head. "Appreciate your assistance, Commander. I'll leave you to your, uh... men."

"Thank you, Executor. I'm sure that I can find something a little more fun than paperwork for them."

He smiled and left the room. She heard him shouting at Haron down the hall. 

"For Spirits sake, Haron! Get up off of that floor! Sorry, ma'am... oh, hello Ambassador. Sorry Ambassador. Damn it, Haron! Get up! So sorry ma'am... _Sergeant_!!" 

Crossing her arms, she turned at stared at the mess in front of her. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

Cortez was still behind the couch, but he didn't move. Garrus got up but almost fell, catching himself on the edge of Bailey's desk. And James was ignoring her, instead he was watching his pec muscles flex. 

Shepard slapped him on the back, right on his fresh tattoo. "Vega! Why does every instinct in my body tell me that this was your doing?"

"Hey, I wasn't even invited before you told me to come check on them. Cortez and your boyfriend were already up here drinking before I got here."

"You brought the tequila!" Cortez shouted. 

"And the brandy," Garrus slurred. 

"You ruined our quiet get-together," came Bailey's voice. 

"You stripped Haron of his manhood," Garrus piped up.

Vega rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 

"Okay. Fun's over. Let's get back to the Normandy," Shepard said, "Vega, put your shirt back on. Cortez, get up. And Garrus... you might want to say your prayers. You are in so much trouble."

"She's harder on me because she loves me more than all of you," Garrus said to no one in particular. 

"Ball and chain!" Bailey shouted randomly. 

So, this was going to be about as easy as herding cats. She'd have to call in the big guns on this one. 

"EDI, can you send Grunt, Adams, and Donnelly to Commander Bailey's office, please. We've got three carry-outs," Shepard said. "And Vega told me he wants Grunt to throw him over his shoulder and carry him like the little princess he is."

Vega glared at her. 

" _Of course, Shepard. Is this a doghouse situation?_ "

Shepard rubbed her eyes. "Oh, EDI, you have no idea," she said. 


	18. May Angels Lead You In (or: You Did Good, Child)

Her heart had been pounding already as she and the rest of Hammer had run towards the beam, fueled by the hate she felt pulsing through her as Harbinger's voice filled the air, but she'd never felt the intense fear and dread within her when she saw the vehicle launch at Garrus and Javik running behind her. When she'd catapulted over it and seen that, although he was injured, Garrus was okay, her heart had settled a bit. 

 

And when she'd told him she'd always love him and left him on the Normandy, her heart was still pounding, but she was at peace. She knew she'd break her promise to him - "Come back alive" he'd said - but if he was still breathing and if he was still alive when all of this hell was finally over, then everything that she'd done and that she was setting out to do was worth it. Still, watching the Normandy fly away without her and knowing that she'd likely never see the ship again was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. And this was coming from the woman who was now staring down Harbinger and his evapo-laser. 

Getting to the beam and walking through the Citadel was an out-of-body experience, and she only half-believed that her heart was actually still beating. It was as if she was running on pure adrenaline, but when she faced down the Catalyst and chose to destroy the enemy, she could feel her heart pounding again.

_Yes. Yes, Shepard, you're still alive. You've made it this far. Keep breathing._

It was throbbing in her ears and making her head pound. 

_Keep breathing._

The mission was to destroy the Reapers. It always had been. So her choice was clear, as tempting as the others had been. She'd spent the last three years of her life gunning to wipe the bastards from the galaxy, and she wasn't about to change face and do anything other than that, no matter what it meant for her. No matter how sacred of a promise she was about to break. 

Shepard had a faint memory of Anderson's voice telling her he was proud of her, a flash of bright blue light, and then the feeling of being suspended in the air - almost like falling, but different somehow - as if she was being placed down gently instead of catapulting through the air.

And then she felt her body hit the ground and everything went black. 

" _Shepard_?" 

Shepard opened her eyes and she was standing on Virmire, along the pathway that she'd driven in the Mako towards the salarian base all those years ago. She was ankle-deep in water and she was in her armor, her favourite pistol in her hand. She felt healthy. She felt safe. 

Looking around, she searched for the source of the voice, and for the Mako and her squad, but they weren't there, of course. 

Of course, she was dead... right? But why the hell was she on Virmire?

The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs was like thunder and she remembered how uneasy that sound had made her as she drove the vehicle towards the base, but now she felt oddly peaceful. The sound was like a heartbeat. Soothing, rhythmic, comforting... boom, boom, BOOM!

In the distance, beyond the cliffs, was a faint orange glow. She moved towards it, careful not to step over the cliff, shielding her eyes as she got closer to the light and squinting as the brilliance of the orange intensified. This wasn't something she'd seen on Virmire before. It was such an odd orange, too - such an alien glow.

"Shepard?" came the voice again, right behind her this time. 

Shepard turned and came face-to-face with Ashley Williams. The other woman was dressed in a flowing, light-pink gown and her hair was down around her face, framing it in soft waves. Ash looked so, so young and so, so innocent. 

"Ash?" Shepard choked, feeling her chest tighten. So she  _was_  dead, then. She hadn't kept her promise. 

"Hey, skipper," Ashley smiled, "I was wondering if I'd get to see you again."

"Me too, Ash. Me too. I was pretty sure I would, though."

"What do you mean, Commander?"

"I always knew that this would be my last mission, Williams. Destroy the Reapers. Victory at any cost. I knew that it was a one-way trip up that beam. I just didn't think that this would be where I ended up. I mean, _Virmire_?"

Ashely looked away from Shepard and began to walk closer to the edge of the cliffs, the dress billowing around her and the wind softly blowing her hair back. She looked ethereal. "Skipper, I'm happy as hell to see you, but this isn't where you 'end up'."

"What do you mean? This isn't the afterlife?"

"On Virmire?" Ashley chuckled, "Hell no. You think I'd stay after what happened to me here? No. I came to send you off."

"What are you saying, Williams?"

"You made a promise, Commander. You accepted one last mission."

Shepard looked at her feet. "I guess I did. But it's a promise I can't keep... it's a mission I can't fulfill. Not this time."

"Sorry, Commander," Ash replied, shaking her head and staring off into the horizon. Off at the orange glow.

"Sorry?"

"You were given an order, skipper. I've never known you to disobey an order. I can't let you."

"I don't think it's up to you."

Ashley looked over her shoulder at Shepard and gave her a slight smile. "I guess not, but it's not up to you, either."

Shepard walked over to Ash's side and looked at the orange glow that seemed to get even more intense as she stared at it. The waves were crashing so loudly she could barely hear her own thoughts. 

"You weren't expendable, Ash. Not to me, not to anyone. I miss you," Shepard shouted.

The other woman stared down off of the side of the cliff into the black water below. "I know, skipper."

Shepard followed her gaze. "What are you looking at?"

But Ashley was silent, and the only sound for a few minutes was the waves. Ash's hair whipped around her face violently, and her dress was plastered against her body. Her face, though, was as pensive as it always was, and her pink lips eventually parted into a small smile. 

"It's not your time yet. You've always kept your promises. I died so that you could keep fighting. Your fight's not over yet," Ash finally answered. 

Shepard turned to look at her and say something, but Ash had placed her hand squarely in the space between Shepard's shoulders and given her a shove. Shepard felt herself hit the water and then she was falling through blackness... falling, falling, falling, and GASP!

Her lungs filled with air. 

"Shepard! Shit. Get me medi-gel NOW. We need to move her carefully. Oh God, oh God - she's alive! She's alive!"

_Miranda_? 

"Lawson, Anderson's over here. I think he's dead."

"Damn it! Well, load him up. We have to recover his body regardless."

"Miranda, I don't think we have the room in the shuttle."

"We're bringing his body back with us! That's an order."

"And the other bodies?" 

"We'll send a NavPoint to the Alliance. They can coordinate when we get comms back up. Our priority right now is Shepard."

"We've been able to set up a comm link to the hospital. They're waiting for us. They're waiting for Shepard."

"Good. And what about a link to the Normandy?"

"We can't get any kind of comms off-Earth. The pulse must have knocked it out. They've got to already have people working on it."

"Kate? Can you hear me? Try not to move - just keep breathing, okay? We're going to get you out of here. You're going to be fine."

"Ready for extraction, Lawson."

Shepard could feel every break in every bone in her body, every burn, every tear in her skin. Every surface of her body was in agonizing pain, and she could only just lie still as Miranda reassured her, and let the pain radiate through her - from the tips of her toes to the very top of her head... oh, she was in so much pain. But with every pang she felt came a sharp inhale, and with every sharp inhale came an odd sense of relief.

She'd come back. She'd come back alive. 

_You were given an order, skipper._

_Your fight's not over yet._


	19. This is Where I Leave You (or: This Is a General Distress Call)

Garrus had seen a great many things in his time, and he could confidently say that he’d survived many events that others wouldn’t have. Some humans would say that he’d seen miracles in the making and he’d have to agree with them, especially after what had happened the past week.

He would have said that getting the Normandy back up and running again was the first miracle: Tali, Liara, Adams, and Donnelly and Daniels had put their heads together and brought the ship back from what was sure to be an otherwise dark grave. And then Traynor establishling communications with Earth was the second miracle. Finding out that Shepard was still alive was by far the greatest miracle he’d ever been a part of, even before the destruction of the Reapers.

When the first reports had come in about the Citadel, the crew had been sure that she hadn’t made it. They’d held a commemorative ceremony and dug her name plaque out of storage so that they could put her memory to rest in the one place she loved most. They’d insisted he be the one to put her name up on that wall, but he’d been so overcome with emotion that he’d only been able to stare at the plaque and smile up at the wall, lost in his memories. Afterwards, he’d assured the crew that he was going to be okay, but he knew he wasn’t. There was no Shepard without Vakarian, but there was no Vakarian without Shepard, either.

So, naturally, Garrus had openly keened and cried in the way only a turian could when Traynor hacked the Alliance comm that said that Commander Shepard had been found alive. Against all odds, she’d cheated death… again. A part of him had already known she would. He was losing count as to how many times she’d won the staredown against Death, but he was thanking the Spirits, God, the Goddesses, and any other spiritual figure he could think of that she had made it back.

It had taken the Normandy almost five days to make it back to Earth from where they’d crashed, but they had made it eventually and now he was here, sitting beside her in a room in Vancouver in one of the only hospitals still standing, watching her breathe in and out on her own, intravenous tubes and wires sticking out of her. She’d been here a week and she still hadn’t woken up.

 _Meat and tubes_.

The doctors had allowed him in only because Miranda had already sent his description to the hospital guards to authorize him full access, and Admiral Shepard had also vouched for him. It had been strange, meeting Kate’s mother like that… _really_ meeting her, but she’d seemed to accept him and had even given him a hug when she saw him. It was something that he hadn't expected, but it was a nice surprise.

“Garrus?”

He jumped at the sudden sound of the voice at the door to Kate’s room. It was her mother, clad in her dress blues.

“Have you left this room today?” Hannah asked him, her voice taking on a slightly accusing tone.

He shook his head. “Miranda and Karin said that there had been some improvement, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave. But I should probably leave you two alone…”

“Please, it’s all right. I actually wanted to have some time to speak with you.”

“I’ve got lots of time, Admiral.”

“Just call me ‘Hannah’. Being called ‘Admiral’ or ‘Rear Admiral’ just reminds me of all of my responsibilities. And those seem,” she looked at Kate fondly, “so miniscule compared to what else is happening right now.”

“Agreed.”

“What about _your_ responsibilities? You’re still signed on to Primarch Victus’ advisory board, are you not?”

Garrus nodded. “Yes, but I’m on ‘administrative leave’. It was supposed to be bereavement leave, but, well, I’m glad it’s not.”

Hannah nodded and her eyes welled with tears. “She looks so fragile, doesn’t she?”

He didn’t respond but bowed his head. Kate would hate to hear herself being referred to as fragile, but she _did_ look it. The woman lying on the bed in front of him, hooked up to all of the machines and tubes, didn't resemble the strong, determined, badass that he'd always known. It scared him. It scared him so damned much.

“Garrus, I wanted to thank you for being so loyal and unwavering in your devotion to my daughter. It… surprised me at first when Kate told me about the two of you.”

“I can imagine, ma’am. Kate told me that you served in the First Contact War. It must have been a shock.”

Hannah laughed at his bluntness. “Yes. It must have been a shock to your family, too.”

“I… uh… haven’t told them just yet.”

“You haven’t?” she raised an eyebrow at him, an expression he recognized at once. He couldn’t help but smile. That was a 'Shepard look' if he ever saw one.

“Not yet. I could never find the right time. And now... well, I haven't been able to reach them anyways.”

“Understandable.”

There was a forced, awkward silence between them. Garrus stared at his hands.

“I have to know,” Hannah spoke up, “if… when… she wakes up – what’s the plan for you two?”

It wasn’t the question he’d been expecting, but he knew that it would be one he’d have to face sooner rather than later. He had thought about it a bit, especially before the final stand in London, but even then it was just a matter of whether they’d both live long enough to talk about what their next step together was going to be. He’d almost asked Shepard when he’d joked with her about finding out what a turian-human baby looks like, but _damn_ it was hard to find the right time to talk about just about anything other than the war.

But now he could feel Hannah’s eyes boring into the side of his face and he looked up to meet them.

“I’d like to… uh, make it official. Long-term. You know?”

Hannah’s eyes softened and her face crinkled into a smile. “So you want to _marry_ her?”

“That’s the human terminology for it, right? I mean, if you’re okay with it.”

The woman let out a loud laugh. “Does it really matter what I think? Kate never really gave two shits about what I think… or what _anyone_ thinks, frankly. But, for what it’s worth, Garrus… I would be more than happy to see my daughter marry you. Even though you are a _turian_."

He looked at her in horror, but she gave him a reassuring smile to let him know that she was joking.

"What’s the turian terminology for marriage?” Hannah asked.

“It depends on which clan and where you’re from on Palaven, but it’s usually referred to as bonding or joining.”

Hannah leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest – another decidedly 'Shepard' move. “Well, I’m glad that I asked. I know that Kate is more than capable of taking care of herself, but if she’d bonded with you then maybe the forces of evil will think twice before they make any sort of attempt on her life.”

Garrus laughed for the first time in weeks as the memory hit him. “That reminds me, ma’am. Has anyone ever told you the story of when we fought Kate’s evil clone?”

***

 _"Dr. T'Soni, you have a new message at your private terminal."_  

_"Dr. T'Soni, it is now three minutes past the time that you asked me to wake you."_

"Glyph, respectfully, please fuck off."

_"There is no need for animosity, Doctor. I simply fulfilled the task you asked me to perform."_

"Ugh," she groaned as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed. She slapped a hand to her forehead to try to dull the headache she'd had for a week straight now. "Glyph, make a note: the minute that you begin asking me if you have a soul is the minute I pull the plug."

_"Noted, Dr. T'Soni. You have a new message on your private terminal."_

"You've told me that already."

_"This one is marked 'urgent'. It is from Admiral Hackett."_

Liara shot to her feet and rushed over to her computer. 

_Dr. T'Soni,_

_I have an urgent matter that I need to discuss with you in private. Please come to my office at your next earliest availability._

_Admiral S. Hackett_

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed her response: 

_Admiral,_

_I will be there in twenty minutes._

_Liara_

She was a blue streak as she ran around the room getting dressed and she was out the door within three minutes, well, three minutes and seventeen seconds if you were counting, and according to Glyph, who was. 

***

Hackett looked up from the holo in front of him as Liara entered his office, breathless. "Dr. T'Soni, you look a little winded. Are you all right?"

"I'm... fine... Admiral, thank you," she panted as she slipped into the chair in front of his desk. "I... ran from... the apartment."

"Well, I'm afraid that I'm going to send you on a bit more running around, unfortunately."

"Wait... what? This isn't about... Shepard?"

Hackett gave her a confused look. "No. Is that what you thought?"

Liara nodded. 

"My apologies, Dr. T'Soni. Please know that you would be contacted by Rear Admiral Shepard or Vakarian if there was any change with the Commander. I know just as much as you in that regard."

"It's quite all right, Admiral. I'm happy to help you in any way."

"Appreciate it, Doctor. Now, I need you to go to an Alliance outpost in West Vancouver. Here are directions - you'll need to grab a cab. Once there, ask for a Doctor Harlatt and tell him that I sent you. He'll then ask you for a password: it's 'Sha'ira'."

"Sha'ira?" Liara stammered.

"Long story. Don't ask. If he is still unconvinced, tell him the following phrase: 'Come on, Eezo, there's no time like the present', and if THAT doesn't work, then just call me."

"Uh, what is this about, Admiral? I don't like walking into something blind."

"It's extremely highly classified, Dr. T'Soni. You'll find out once you meet with Dr. Harlatt. But I can't stress to you how classified this is. Do not speak to anyone about it, please."

She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all. "Yes, okay, Admiral."

"I'll call you a cab."

****

About twenty minutes later, a very, very confused Liara T'Soni made her way into a large building that looked simply like a massive ruin. It didn't look like anyone was around, and the shuttle driver had even commented that there was nothing out in this part of Vancouver except ghosts and bits of Reaper. 

She crept through the ruins carefully. Hackett wouldn't send her into a trap, would he? No, he wouldn't do that - he wasn't the Illusive Man. 

"Hello?" she called, surprised at the strength of her own voice. "My name is Dr. T'Soni and..."

 _"Dr. T'Soni, welcome. Admiral Hackett called ahead to tell us to expect you,”_ an AI that closely resembled Mira from Noveria blinked on in the corner.

Liara approached it carefully, “Well, I’m glad that you’re here. I was starting to think that this wasn’t the right place.”

_“This base was already established underground prior to the Reaper War. Fortunately, most of our underground sub-structures remained intact. There is a hatch behind you that will open and a stairwell will lead you down to the lobby.”_

“Thank you.”

She turned around and walked towards the now-open hatch, walking down the darkened stairs that opened up, grasping for the pistol that she usually had holstered at her side, but it wasn’t there. Damn it, if this thing went sideways then she’d likely die – combat was never her strong point, but at least her biotics would help her for a little while anyways.

But Liara’s heart slowed when she finally emerged into a stark white lobby with humans, asari, and salarians running between the lab rooms in white lab coats. A guard stopped her.

“Name?”

“Liara T’Soni,” she sighed, full of relief.

“Dr. T’Soni?”

“Yes.”

“Will you submit to a body scan, Dr. T’Soni? It’s required.”

“I suppose,” she murmured, “I’m here to meet with Dr. Harlatt. Admiral Hackett sent word to expect me.”

“Yes, but you could be someone else claiming that you’re Dr. T’Soni,” an older human male, who looked to be about Hackett’s age, said as he walked towards Liara and the guard.

“And you are?”

“Dr. Steven Harlatt. What’s the password?”

“Sha’ira,” Liara replied, sizing the man up. He had wrinkles deep-set into his forehead, and his round glasses were sliding down his nose. The lab coat he was wearing was much too over-sized for him, and his cheekbones were gaunt and made him appear sallow. But his blue eyes were fierce and bright, and she detected a mischievous air about him. 

Harlatt stepped back and crossed his arms. “You could know that one anyways. How’s that scan going, Officer Lange?”

Liara rolled her eyes. The man was playing with her. “Come on, Eezo, there’s no time like the present.”

“Ah. And let me guess; Hackett told you to call him if I still wouldn’t speak with you?" 

“I assume that you and the Admiral are well-acquainted, then."

“Served together before he became who he is today. We basically grew up together. I watched him get his scar. Thank you, Officer Lange – you’re dismissed. Dr. T’Soni, this way.”

She followed him through the lab, meeting eyes with a few of the asari and salarian scientists. “This is very unexpected. What is the purpose of this lab? Where are the turian scientists?”

“Our main purpose is developing a sterilization plague for _them_ , so we didn’t invite them to our party,” Harlatt replied.

“What?”

“Hah! You’ll believe anything. Which I suppose is a good thing considering.”

“That wasn’t funny. And you didn’t answer my question.”

Harlatt sighed, “We’ve been working here to try and figure out how the mass relays, and other Reaper tech, work. Everything we thought the Protheans created that we’ve now found out that are Reaper tech… well, you name it, we’re studying it. The turians _are_ involved, but many went back to Palaven after it was hit and haven't been able to make it back.”

“What? Why all the secrecy?”

“You’re referring to the password and phrase that Hackett told you? That’s what people call me: ‘Eezo’. I’m one of the leading experts on Element Zero, and I’ve devoted most of my life to finding out how it works in a mass effect field and as part of the Mass Relays.”

“Why would you devote your life to that? We know so little about the relays.”

“Just as you devoted most of your life to studying the Protheans, Dr. T’Soni. We know so little and that is unacceptable. Before the Reaper War, we knew that the relays were the key to inter-space travel, and we knew that the time may come where we might discover a new system or a new species and need to build a relay in that system. Now, we need to rebuild the relays.”

Liara gaped at him. He said it so casually, like it was just another job. “So, why me?”

“You’re the Shadow Broker, you spent one of my lifetimes studying the Protheans and the Reaper connection, and you were part of Shepard’s crew. We have needs for all three of those things,” he said, leading her towards the end of the hallway.

They stopped at a blacked-out door and Harlatt pulled out a key. He opened it with a bit of a flourish, and she peered inside. She gasped.

“By the Goddess!”

Harlatt smiled. “Bet you didn’t expect that, did you?”

She walked towards the glowing object in the middle of the room, her eyes still refusing to believe what they saw there. “How… how is this possible?”

“Remember I told you that I’m called ‘Eezo’ around here? Well, I’ve earned the right to that nickname- especially with this.”

Liara crouched down and peered at the object. “I… don’t believe it.”

It was a miniature mass relay.

Harlatt laughed, “Well, you better believe it.”

“So you created a small mass relay? How do you know that it even works?”

“I built another; it's the first prototype – it doesn’t have the propulsion system that the one you’re looking at does, but we can use it to receive… here, watch.”

Harlatt held up a small model of an Alliance fighter and dropped it beside the mass relay. The relay sent blue fingers out and it seemed to grab hold of the model and bring it up so that it was floating beside the relay and then shot it through the air. The model emerged on the other side of the room as another mass relay she hadn’t seen before glowed blue. Harlatt caught the model and smiled.

Liara’s legs gave out from under her and she landed on her ass on the floor with a THWUMPF!

The man walked towards her and bent down, his face only inches from hers. “We can fix the mass relays. We can fix all of it. But we need your help.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. Oh Goddess... they were going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.

“What can I do?”

“We need your contacts as the Shadow Broker. We need you to compile a science team and a scouting team. Any lingering Reaper artifacts that are out there, you need to get your hands on them. And then we need the Normandy. You’re to take it and a team to the Sol Relay and deploy the technology you see here on it… but on a much-grander scale, obviously.”

“Why the Normandy?” she whispered, still in a state of disbelief.

“The stealth systems will come in very handy. This is still highly-classified, and we don’t even know if this technology will work on the actual relays. Plus, our research tells us that the relays may actually be individual space stations – now that their cores are disabled, we might be able to get onto them and find out even more there. I will accompany you, of course, but you’ll need to assemble a team. Jeff Moreau is non-negotiable – we need him. We’ll also need protection – who knows what we’ll find there? And I’ll need you, Dr. T’Soni. You and I are going to become very good friends over the next few weeks.”

She cradled her head in her hands. “This is… this is just all so much. And the Normandy is Shepard’s ship. I can’t just _take_ her. Garrus would never allow for it.”

“We’ve already put the plans into motion, Dr. T’Soni. This is happening. We can’t do it without you. The Normandy is an Alliance frigate and Admiral Hackett will be taking over as CO until Commander Shepard is once again in the land of the living. We just need you, Moreau, and a few of your crew signed on and we can get this done... plus some from my scientific team. Besides, don’t you think that the Commander would see the importance of this?”

Harlatt was right, but she was still letting it all sink in. Could they really _fix_ the mass relays?

"I need an answer, Dr. T'Soni. I can realize the shock of all this, but this is a very time-sensitive matter. Time that we don't have."

“Okay,” she said with a determined edge to her voice. She stood up straight and turned to Harlatt. “I will help you… Eezo.”

“This may just be the second most important thing you’ve ever been a part of, Dr. T’Soni.”

****

Liara cautiously walked into Shepard’s hospital room, her heart hammering in her chest. She’d looked in on Shepard once before, but she hadn’t been able to last more than five minutes. Her friend was so badly injured and she looked more like a lab experiment than a person, but at least she was still alive.

Garrus was sitting at Shepard’s bedside, his face dark and his head hung low. Liara wondered if he’d left the room since they’d arrived back on Earth.

“Liara,” he whispered, “Good to see you. You haven’t been by much.”

“I… I’m sorry, Garrus. It’s hard to see her like this. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for _you_. How are you holding up? Have you left this room?”

He looked down at Shepard and shook his head, but his face had a small smile on it. “I can’t get used to seeing all of this red blood they’re pumping into her. Chakwas said that human blood is actually blue on the inside, but turns to red when it meets with oxygen. Odd, isn’t it?”

“That’s not what I asked, Garrus.”

He gave her a look. “I’ll be fine. She’s alive. And, shit, she’s Shepard. She’ll make it through this.”

“She will,” Liara murmured, giving him a sweet smile.

“So, what can I do for you? Or did you come to visit her?”

“I came to say goodbye to both of you. I’m… leaving for a while.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m needed off-planet. It’s extremely classified Alliance business… well, galactic business I suppose. I likely won’t return for a few weeks, and I wanted to say goodbye to you and Shepard. Well, goodbye for now.”

“I still don’t understand. Where are you going? I didn’t think the Alliance was sending any ships off-world unless it was for supply runs.”

“Hackett has requested my presence on the Normandy. We leave tomorrow morning.”

“The Normandy?” Garrus asked, standing up menacingly, “They’re just taking Shepard’s ship? They can’t do that!”

“Garrus, it’s not my choice. It’s needed for… something. I really wish I could tell you, but I just can’t.”

He jerked back as if realization had suddenly hit him, and then he sat back down calmly.

"Oh, right, of course. Take care of that ship, then. I mean, I'd throw you the keys, but..."

"Garrus?" This was odd of him to back down so suddenly. 

"I know about the mass relays, Liara," Garrus said, "Hackett called and asked me to join you, but, well..." He looked down at Shepard and his grip tightened slowly on her hand. 

"I understand. You're needed elsewhere."

"So you've got Vega, Alenko, and Cortez going with you. Joker’s piloting... that should be fun. Kind of like old times."

"Those three aren't worth one of you. But I respect your decision to stay here. She'll need you when she wakes up. You'll let me know if there is any improvement?"

Garrus nodded. "You'll know the minute that an eyelash flutters."

"Thank you," Liara said softly. She began to leave the room, but then turned back and looked at Shepard, watching her chest rise and fall with each peaceful breath. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that her wings broke her fall." 

Garrus hung his head and looked at his hand entwined with Shepard's.

"Yeah," was all he said. 


	20. Under Observation (or: And Miranda Lawson’s Heart Grew Two Times That Day)

“Dr. Lawson, do you have a minute?”

“Can it wait, Charles? I’m due to check in on Commander Shepard.”

“It’s concerning Commander Shepard, ma’am. That turian that’s been here for the past two days hasn’t left Shepard’s side and Dr. Chakwas said that you might be able to speak with him and get him to actually go and eat something.”

“Why can’t she talk to him?”

“She has, ma’am. But he didn’t listen to her. Dr. Chakwas thinks that he might listen to you, though.”

“Fine. I’ll go speak to him. But don’t expect him to listen to me. He has never been that fond of me if I recall,” Miranda sighed, walking towards Shepard’s room. Since the Normandy arrived on Earth and Garrus had made his way to the hospital, she hadn’t been able to go into Shepard’s room without seeing him there. He was always sitting beside the unconscious Commander, either reading through a datapad, sleeping, or just holding her hand in his with his head hung. Once she’d seen him take a call on his omnitool and actually _stand_ beside the bed.

Chakwas was waiting for her outside of Shepard’s room, watching the turian as he stroked Shepard’s hair and spoke to her. Miranda looked over at the doctor and could see that Chakwas’ eyes were full of tears.

“He won’t listen to me, Lawson. He asked if I could bring him some dextro energy bars, and when I refused he said that he wasn’t hungry. He just sits there, speaking to her. He’s afraid that the moment he leaves she’ll wake up and he doesn’t want her to be alone,” Chakwas’ voice wavered with sobs.

“Has he eaten today at all?”

“I brought him some of the dextro rations we had last night and it looks like they’re gone, but he needs a proper meal. He also needs to be checked over – he injured himself when the Normandy crashed but he hasn’t let me look at it. It's been awhile since the Normandy returned - what if it's infected? He won’t leave her side for anything. I’ve thought about calling the Primarch or his father…”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. Do we have dextro-compatible medi-gel?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll try to speak with him, Karin, but I doubt I’ll be able to get him to leave the room. So let’s make sure that he doesn’t get an infection and just keep bringing him rations for now. He's survived off of MREs for years – a full meal could send his body into shock.”

Chakwas sighed and nodded. “All right. Whoever said that turians were stubborn didn’t know the half of it. And this isn’t Garrus… it’s just not like him.”

“Yes, well, you learn a lot about a man in the way he falls apart,” Miranda breathed. She opened the door and walked into the room.

Garrus looked up at her with bleary eyes as she entered. Holy hell, he _did_ look like shit.

“You here to lecture me about my eating habits, too?”

“No, I’m here to check in on the Commander.”

He looked down at Shepard. “No change,” he whispered.

“It will take some time before we see any 'big' changes. And then, when we do see these kinds of 'big' changes, it won’t necessarily mean that she’ll wake up.”

“Yeah, well, if she does ever wake up I don’t want her to wake up alone.”

“I understand.”

“Really? You’re being supportive now, Lawson? Chakwas _did_ send you in here.”

“No, Karin is off to get you some more dextro rations and some medi-gel before that gash on your leg gets infected. You realize that if you get an infection, then we’ll forcibly remove you from this room, right? The Commander is still at risk and we can’t risk anyone who may be in compromised health to be around her.”

“You’d have to bring a whole lot of firepower to remove me from this room.”

“Then at least let me look at your injury so that we don’t have to resort to that.”

He stared at her and then sighed heavily. “Fine.”

It was a small victory. She smiled at him slightly and then bent down to remove the crude bandages on his leg wound.

“You realize that you smell very bad, right?” she said, wrinkling her nose. At least the smell wasn’t coming from the wound – that was a good sign.

“So?”

“So maybe that’s why she’s not waking up – she doesn’t want her first conscious memory to be your stench.”

“It would be better than waking up in some Cerberus lab with your voice as the first thing she hears,” Garrus snapped.

“Vakarian… I’m trying to help you. At least try to be courteous.”

“Sorry,” he grunted.

He winced as she pulled back the bandages. The wound itself wasn’t that bad; his tough turian skin had thankfully prevented it from cutting down to the bone, but it needed attention.

“How did you manage this?” she asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“Well, you applied the medi-gel correctly, but Chakwas will have to get in here and treat it when she returns. You’re lucky that it’s not infected.”

“So, you’re not going to kick me out?”

“No, but you really should steal away for at least five minutes to wash up. You really, really smell. And I can promise you that she won’t wake up while you’re gone.”

“How can you promise that?”

“She just started breathing on her own, Garrus. That was a huge step, but it will be at least a week or more before she’s healed enough to even begin to wake up. So, promise me that, at least this week, you’ll take a shower. Or try to get up and move around.”

“I guess I can do that,” he sighed, looking down at Shepard. “You were really the one who found her?”

“Yes.”

“Hackett said you found Anderson at the beam site, too.”

“Yes. There was nothing I could do for him. He’d been shot and he’d bled out.”

“What do you think happened up there?”

Miranda shrugged and checked Shepard’s machines again. “I’m not sure. All I know is that they were among many bodies and wreckage where the beam had been. Shepard was the only one who survived.”

“I guess probably thanks to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dr. Chakwas mentioned that the implants and cybernetics are probably what held her together. Without them she would have died the minute she hit the ground.”

Miranda didn’t have the heart to tell him just how close Shepard had been to death when they’d found her. She’d been amazed that Shepard’s heart was still beating, and then when they’d finally brought her back to the hospital and began their scans, she’d been even more flabbergasted when they’d picked up on brain activity.

“Without them, she would have been dead almost three years ago.”

“I suppose so. Guess I never really thanked you for that, so thank you.”

She tilted her head at him in a very Shepard-esque pose. “You know, I could never understand why Kate chose you. Of all the options she had, and she ran straight to you.”

“Uh, thanks? That sure makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you. I just meant that I guess I can see now why she decided on you.”

“And why’s that?”

“You’ve always put her before yourself, and here you are with a gash to your leg, unwashed and filthy, starving, but you’re mostly concerned that she doesn’t wake up alone.”

Garrus looked up at her and gave her a wide grin, “Guess that’s just what love does to a guy like me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick "shout-out": the line Miranda says "... you learn a lot about a man in the way he falls apart" is a line from the great song "Back To You" by Billy the Kid.


	21. I Helped Fight the Reapers and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (or: No Time Like the Present)

The Normandy was quiet. Too quiet. Usually, he didn't mind it, but now it just reminded him of everyone who was missing. Without Shepard and Garrus and EDI... well, it just wasn't the same. 

At least Liara had convinced Tali to join them at the last minute, and the quarian marine Tali was with had some great stories that he’d come and tell Joker to pass the time, but it still just wasn't the damn same. 

Tali wasn't aboard the Normandy to help rebuild the mass relays - though Dr. Harlatt had seemed impressed enough with her to ask her to join them when they arrived at the Sol Relay - she was there to help Adams and to help rebuild EDI. They were running on a serious skeleton crew, and Tali’s engineering expertise was sorely needed to keep the Normandy’s stealth systems running optimally.

Joker was grateful for Tali's daily updates on her work attempting to restore EDI, even if there hadn't been any progress, but it didn't make the pain dull any. EDI was still gone. Sure, they'd won the Reaper War, but they'd lost so, so much. 

Kal'Reegar had said something to Joker during one of their chats: "War is never about winning - every side loses something. Victory is a lie one side claims when they're the only ones left standing when the smoke clears. But, keelah, am I glad that we were the ones left standing."

 _"Jeff, what's our ETA?"_ Liara's voice filled the cockpit.

"Twenty minutes until we reach the Sol Relay," he muttered. 

_"Thank you. I've just received word that we will be joined by a geth ship that will help us dock the relay. Tali and Kal will stay aboard with you as several geth units will be coming aboard to aid with EDI's... um, recovery. Just so you know."_

"Thanks for the heads up, Liara."

_"And, Jeff?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Everything will be okay. We can do this."_

"Thanks, Liara."

***

They were waiting in the airlock for the geth to signal that the docking tube was secure enough to board the relay, and Liara was antsy. Dr. Harlatt, beside her, seemed impatient as well - bouncing on his toes slightly.

"Well, this'll be some firsts for me," Vega said. 

"How so?" Kaidan asked, checking his pistol.

"For one, working with the geth instead of shooting at them will still be a bit of a learning curve, and then actually _boarding a mass relay_ \- I mean, holy shit! Going where no man has gone before. What do you think we'll find in here?" Vega replied.

"It could be anything," Liara said, "Keep your guard up."

 _"Dr. T'Soni,"_ a geth voice rang in her ear, _"the docking tube is now suitable for use."_

"Thank you. Okay, let's move. As soon as we get to the airlock on the relay, James, Kaidan, and Cortez - you move ahead and clear the way for our team. Stay in constant comms with us. Remember that this is a Reaper construct - if you begin to feel funny or hear voices, leave immediately," Liara said.

Vega give Kaidan a surprised look, and then turned and saluted her. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Geth Patrol One - are you reading any gravity within the Relay structure?" she asked, ignoring the marine.

_"No, Dr. T'Soni."_

"Then I guess we're sticking with mag boots," Liara sighed. "Come on, let's go."

As she walked towards the opposite airlock, she felt more unsure of herself with every step she took. She could only imagine the fear that Shepard must have had as she walked through the docking tube toward the geth dreadnought. But Shepard had always managed to come out on the other side without letting the fear outwardly affect her, and Liara was just going to have to channel that energy now. 

 _What would Shepard do?_ She’d have to make that into a poster or something… or perhaps simply a mantra.

The team reached the airlock and Vega began to pry it open, Kaidan and Cortez at the ready. 

They swept inside and Liara tried to slow her heart rate and breathing as she counted the seconds tick by. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kaidan called out "clear!"

As she stepped foot inside the airlock, Liara got on her comms again, "Normandy, Geth Patrol One, we are inside the airlock."

 _"Roger,"_ Joker said.

 _"We are here if you need us, Dr. T'Soni,"_ the geth pilot responded, _"Currently monitoring your progress."_

Vega closed the airlock behind them and then moved ahead to pry open the next door. Liara inhaled sharply: this was it. They were finally going to find out what was inside the mass relays.

"Here we go!" Vega grunted as the door gave way and opened completely.

A Keeper body floated out of the door, obviously dead. Liara let out a loud gasp, and Harlatt reached up and caught the body before it floated out of reach.

"This looks identical to the Keepers on the Citadel," he murmured. "There will likely be more. Geth Patrol One, there is a package for pick up in the airlock. It's a Keeper body - deliver it to the Normandy's med lab, would you? I want to see what’s inside that little backpack… and brain…"

_"Affirmative, Dr. Harlatt."_

"Come on," Kaidan said, "let's move."

Liara's mouth was permanently agape as they moved through the rest of the relay. It reminded her slightly of the wards back on the Citadel - it was a station, all right, but it was mostly bare except for the Keeper terminals dotting the walls here and there. And, of course, the Keeper bodies they kept running into. 

The entire team was quiet as they moved together through the structure, save for the gasps and other sounds of shock when they came across another body or set of terminals.

But the biggest source of shock was when they reached what seemed to be the relay’s command centre. Each wall was lined with Keeper terminals, but there was also a large console in the centre of the room.

“This is unbelievable,” Harlatt whispered, “this console isn’t designed for the Keepers… who could have used it?”

“Perhaps indoctrinated agents from cycles before?” Liara wondered.

“Maybe. Be careful. Assume everything is a trap,” Harlatt replied, moving towards the console. He touched it lightly and the console seemed to come to life, glowing a bright orange.

“Careful!” Kaidan called to Harlatt. The other man nodded at him and slowly moved back towards the console.

“If I start to speak about the Enkindlers or Harbinger or any of that shit… please, please just shoot me,” Harlatt muttered.

The console glowed a brighter  orange as the doctor reached out to touch it again. He clicked a few of the keys, his blue eyes obviously mesmerized, until a holo appeared.

Liara gasped and moved towards it, her eyes as wide as Harlatt’s.

“It’s… it’s a blueprint.”

***

“Hey, Joker. How are you holding up?”

Joker turned his chair and came face-to-helmet with Kal’Reegar.

“About as good as I can be. How’s Tali?”

“She’s hard at work. She believes that she may have made a breakthrough – she’s in the AI core now. But it’s all kind of boring to me. So, I thought I’d come and check on you.”

“Well, I can’t say that I’m any more exciting than what Tali’s doing. You say she thinks that she’s got a breakthrough?”

Reegar nodded. “Yeah, but she wants one of the geth engineers to come aboard and help her. Can you believe that?”

“Tali served with Legion, Reegar… she knows what the geth are capable of.”

“Yeah, well, so do I. Can’t say I fully trust them yet, but I guess I should just defer judgment to her. She generally knows what she’s talking about.”

“She does. You two make a good match, Reegar.”

“Thanks. It’s nice to come out of this war with a soft space to rest your head.”

Joker hung his head, willing himself not to cry.

“Shit, man, I’m sorry. You know that we’ll get EDI back up and running, right? Tali is a miracle worker - her and Liara will find a way.”

“Yeah. I know. It’s just… I gave my all to bringing down the Reapers. I fought from the very beginning… even from this chair… and I have nothing left now. Shepard won’t wake up, Garrus is a complete wreck, I don’t know where my family is or if they’re even alive, and my best friend and soulmate just shut down. I don’t feel like anything could go any worse.”

Joker couldn’t tell what the look on Reegar’s face could be as the marine looked at him, but he could feel Reegar's pity.

Reegar shook his head and then looked at his hands. “You do have something left, Joker.”

“Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”

“Hope.”


	22. The Protocol on Reunions (or: Welcome Back, Shepard)

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ugh. There was that sound again, but it was louder this time. It was like an alarm that she couldn’t hit the snooze button for, and it was just so damn annoying. Why couldn’t she just _sleep_? And then there were the voices… the never-ending voices! They weren’t going to let her sleep.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The infernal beeping sound continued to get louder and louder, and it was becoming much too annoying now - she had to do something to just make it stop. She went to reach for the snooze button, but something was weighing her arm down; she couldn’t move. What was happening to her? Why couldn’t she move her arm? _What was happening to her_?

The beeping intensified until the sound felt like it was cutting straight into her skull, and she began to realize how dehydrated she was, and how much her head hurt, and how much her body hurt… each thud of her heart made her head throb. All of a sudden she felt a sudden surge of air that filled her lungs and she became very aware of how heavy her eyelids felt. In fact, her eyes were closed – had she been sleeping? Or was she just simply dead?

 _The Catalyst_ … what had happened? Had the Reapers been destroyed?

Her face itched. She tried to reach it, but her arm still wasn’t cooperating. This was bullshit. Her face _really_ itched. She tried her arm again, but it didn’t move. And then again.

“Ugh,” she felt the groan escape her lips, and her eyelids suddenly didn’t seem so heavy. She squeezed them shut, and then began to flutter them open.

She still hadn’t scratched the damn itch on her face.

“Ughhhhhh,” she groaned again, and she felt her arm flail onto her face and came crashing into her nose. Fuck, that hurt, and it was the wrong arm, AND it still didn’t resolve the itch issue. She tried the arm she wanted again, but the one on her face now shot down towards her side and hit something warm and soft. It felt like… fringe.  Why the hell wasn’t her right arm responding?!?!?

“Ughhhhhh,” another groan, but not from her this time.

Her eyes were open now, and the world was still coming into focus. She turned her head to the left and bright blue eyes met hers.

“Garrus?” she croaked.

He jerked upright and grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Kate? Spirits! Kate! You’re awake! Wait, let me get the doctor.”

“Doctor? Garrus?”

“I’m here, Kate, I’m here. It’s okay. Just don’t move, okay? I’ll go get Chakwas.”

She breathed in deeply and coughed lightly, but the cough shook her entire body and made her ache everywhere. It was like her bones were knocking together. She gritted her teeth and let out another groan.

Garrus ran towards the door and shouted into the hallway for the attending guard to get Chakwas, and then rushed back to Shepard’s side. “It’s okay. She’s coming. Just lay still, Shepard.”

He brought her hand to his lips and she could feel his lips moving against it like he was saying some kind of prayer. His eyes were closed, and his chest was heaving as if he’d just ran a few miles. Garrus kept looking up at her and searching her face, seemingly in a state of disbelief and utter, utter shock.

“Am I… Garrus… am I dead?”

She could see the way the force of her question hit him and it automatically gave her the answer: she was _not_ dead.

_I did it, Ash! I kept my promise; I'm alive. I fulfilled this mission._

He looked so lost and like he might break down at any minute. The pain in his voice was so terribly evident that she thought she might cry herself. “No, Kate. You’re alive. You’re here with me now. It’s all going to be okay.”

Shepard smiled at him and her heart felt like it was going to burst with relief, joy, and a myriad of other emotions.

“I was… just following orders,” she croaked.

Garrus let out a small chuckle and leaned over her, putting his forehead to hers. She heard him sigh deeply – happily – when their foreheads touched, and they stayed that way for a long time.

_You’re alive._

_I missed you._

_I love you._

***

_“Garrus? Can you hear me all right? There may be a bit of interference.”_

“Yes, Liara, I can hear you. Liara…”

_“I was just about to call you myself, Garrus. Oh… I don’t know how I can keep myself together. I’m so exhausted. These last three weeks have been the most work I’ve ever done – and I’m the Shadow Broker!”_

“Liara-“

_“Garrus… we did it.”_

“What?”

_“We can fix the relays.”_

“Wha… how?”

_“The Keepers… they were the key! You know those little packs they carried on their backs? Each pack is a data-cache… the information is overwhelming. The terminals… everything – they kept a record of every single task they ever did. It was likely intentional and as a way for the Reapers to ‘check-in’ on the relays and the Citadel and any other Reaper construct, and it kept the data and the code perfectly. The Keepers weren’t so fortunate, though. And the relays! The relays are individual stations, Garrus – we found many Keeper bodies here. It took us awhile to correlate the data, but it ended up giving us a blueprint for the relay… and the Reaper code can be rewritten and utilized… oh, Garrus! We can fix it. We can fix it all.”_

His heart beat fast in his chest; this day couldn't possibly get any better. Liara sounded so tired, but he could just see her bouncing up and down.

_“I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch more frequently – we’ve been working night and day on this. The geth have been invaluable… they don’t need sleep, you know. And… Garrus… there’s one more thing.”_

“What?”

_“We fixed EDI. With some of the Keeper data, what was left in the AI core, and Tali and the geth putting their – heads? – together, we were able to restore her. Though she’s exclusively within her body now – they had to sever her ties to the Normandy to make her fully functional. But… she’s back! Joker almost had a heart attack.”_

His mouth fell open and he pinched himself in the leg. This was all too good to be true, but he wasn’t dreaming. Shepard was going to be beside herself with this news… everything was falling into place. Everything was going to be okay. Garrus resisted the urge to keen and cry with joy.

_We made it._

“Liara, that’s amazing news! Your team should be proud of themselves – I can see a commendation in the future.”

_“This is just the beginning, Garrus. This is just the beginning. There is so much work ahead of us, but we can get it done if we all work together.”_

“Yeah.”

_“Now, I have to go. I need to rest and then I’m needed to help Eezo… um, Dr. Harlatt, I mean... and the other engineers and techs with more of the Keeper data.”_

“Liara – wait! I called _you_ , remember?”

_“Oh, yes… of course. My apologies – I am very tired. What is it?”_

“Shepard's awake.”

Stunned silence followed and then Liara’s voice, wavering dramatically and filled with sobs, said, _“Oh, G-Goddess. This is the best day of my life.”_


	23. Questions and Answers (or: Marry Me?)

Hannah Shepard walked down the hallway towards her daughter's hospital room, her nose buried in a datapad. She was answering the countless hoards of messages from reporters wanted an interview with Kate, and had resorted just to replying with a simple "No" to every email to save time and energy. It had been over a month since her daughter’s recovery had been announced, and Hannah was bewildered as to why the reporters would focus on her daughter waking up instead of something as massively important as the Sol Relay becoming active.

But, no, they were focused on Kate’s health, Kate’s injuries, Kate’s story of what happened on the Citadel, Kate’s recollection of how the Reapers just suddenly dropped and died, Kate’s lovelife, Kate’s crew… it was all so menial compared to the breakthrough that Dr. T’Soni’s team had made. But, that was the media for you. They never changed… the scavengers.

"Ma'am?" a voice in front of her asked, bringing her to a stop in front of Kate's room. 

"What?" she snapped, her eyes not leaving the datapad. 

"Uh, Hannah?" 

She looked up to see blue armour in front of her and then familiar blue eyes staring at her. 

"Oh, Garrus! I didn't know it was you. My apologies," she stammered. He certainly was quite tall when he was standing, and she was shocked to see him outside of Kate's room. 

"Please, you were busy. I was wondering, though, if I could speak to you about something?"

"Of course."

He gestured over away from Kate's open doorway and they sat together in some chairs on the opposite wall. 

Garrus clasped his hands together and looked down at the floor awkwardly. "I, uh, wanted to ask you about human marriage customs."

Hannah couldn't help but smile. They'd spoken very, very briefly about his intentions with her daughter after Kate woke up, and now that she was awake... well, Hannah was glad that he was following through. 

"What about them?"

"I got Joker to send me some vids about the, uh, 'engagement' is it? The... proposal. And the weddings. I have to say that it's a bit different from turian joining customs."

"How so?"

"Well, we don't give rings or get down on one knee - not sure that my knees bend that way anyways - and a wedding is just a simple ceremony with small family where we're officially declared bonded to each other. And then... that's it. The female usually gets clan tattoos if her mate's family requests it, but that's it. I don't want to offend human culture, but... well, humans tend to overdo it, don't they?" 

Hannah laughed, "They do! Can I be honest with you, Garrus?"

"Please."

"When Kate's father and I got married it was small and simple - we were married on an Alliance cruiser by the Captain and then we celebrated in the mess hall with the crew. I wore a single gold band on my finger very rarely - the only way you would know that I was his wife was because I took his last name. And that's always what I've pictured for Kate, too - I honestly think that she'd prefer something small and quiet, and I doubt she'd wear a ring anyways; you're not supposed to with the uniform. Though the clan tattoos... well, Kate's full of surprises, so she just might surprise you."

"Really?"

"It's something that you can speak about together. But after seeing the two of you together this past month... well, I think that she would just be happy knowing that you want to stick around forever. That's all that will matter to her."

Garrus looked deep in thought, but he had a wide smile on his face. "You think so?"

"Yes. I know so."

"Thank you, ma'am. That really helps. I did speak to my sister about this, but she's as hopeless as I am sometimes."

"Ah, so you've told your family."

"I have."

"And?"

"My sister has always been very open-minded, so she was supportive and happy. My father was a bit less... enthused, but he supports it nonetheless. Kate's reputation precedes her so, though he doesn't know her yet, he's already impressed with her. Besides, I guess I could have done worse than the Savior of the Galaxy."

"You played just as important a role as she did," Hannah said, "perhaps even bigger. You were always loyal to her, even before your relationship, and I believe that you have always been a great motivator for her."

"What is with you Shepard women and trying to make me blush?"

Hannah laughed. She was impressed with Garrus. It surprised her still, though, at how much she approved of him - she'd been certain that he'd be different somehow, but she was actually going to be proud to have a turian son-in-law. "Do turians put much weight behind the proposal? Do you even call it that?"

"It's not as elaborate when it's being asked as what I've seen of human proposals. With turians, it's the fact that a man has decided on one mate for the rest of his life that holds the most weight. The question itself is sacred - it's more than just a proposal. It's an acknowledgement of a lifelong commitment and a pledge of love. That's probably why we don't put much into the joining ceremony afterwards - the commitment is made when the male asks and the female accepts."

"That is very romantic," Hannah mused, "but what if the female says no?"

Garrus chuckled, "It doesn't often happen. Males don't usually ask more than one female to join unless they're forced to marry one and they love another."

"Turians have arranged marriages?"

"Some clans in the colonies do I think, but most modern turians aren't so stuck in antique beliefs."

"I've learned more about turian customs from you than I think I ever would have if I studied at school," Hannah joked, "Thank you for telling me."

"Well, thank you for the encouragement. I appreciate it."

"Do you know when you'll ask her?"

Garrus grew awkward again. "I've been wanting to ask her every minute since she woke up, but I don't know if the hospital is the right place or time... and, well... shit. I'm nervous."

It was endearing to see him so nervous. Hannah chuckled at his demeanour lightly - she was getting pretty good at reading turians now. 

"Garrus, I'm sure that it won't matter when or how you ask her, but that you actually _ask_ her. What you said about the actual question being sacred - I think that will ring true for Kate, too. Like I said: she'll just be happy that you want to see this through."

"We've always been in it together until the end. Guess this just makes it official."

"Well, you know that you have my blessing."

"Thank you."

"Now, I'm going to go and visit with Kate. Why don't you go grab a bite and maybe have a drink to calm your nerves?"

"Good idea, ma'am."

"I'll see you again, Garrus. It was lovely speaking with you," Hannah gave her future son-in-law a brilliant smile and then walked towards Kate's room again as Garrus set off in the opposite direction. What an odd web time had weaved for her, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

****

Garrus paced outside of Kate's room, watching through the window as his girlfriend slept peacefully. He was beginning to go crazy; the question was consistently on the tip of his tongue, but he was so nervous and anxious, he was sure he'd just screw it up. 

_This is only time you'll get to ask her as long as you live. Make it count._

He felt nauseous. 

"Garrus? You all right?" Chakwas asked him. She was standing at the door and checking Kate's chart. The doctor and Miranda had been haunting Shepard's room since she’d woken up, checking in to ensure that her right arm was healing – the arterial reconstruction was progressing slower than they’d expected, but she had finally been able to wiggle her fingers last week, and both Miranda and Chakwas had been so delighted they’d each cried. It was always endearing when Chakwas cried, but Garrus had admitted that seeing Miranda so verklempt was a little frightening.

"I'm fine, Karin. Thanks."

"It's good to see you up and around. I saw that you actually explored some of the hospital today. Did you get something proper to eat?"

"Yes, I did," he smirked at her.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. She's making excellent strides, you know. We expect that her arm will have full-functionality within the next month. Her recovery has been nothing short of a miracle."

"That's just Shepard, though, Doctor. Right?"

"Yes, but I think that it also helps that she has such a great love to live for."

Garrus gaped at Chakwas, taken aback, and pleasantly touched, by her sentiment. "She deserves a great love. I just can't believe she chose me."

"I can," Chakwas said simply, "Oh, it looks like she's waking up."

"See you later, Doctor," he said, walking into the room and sitting in his usual spot beside Kate.

Shepard's eyes were beginning to open and she rolled her head to the side as he sat down and smiled at him. Her hair framed her face and sat in soft waves on her shoulders, and her green eyes were bright. She was the most beautiful, perfect woman he'd ever known... 

This was it.

It was do or die now - he couldn't wait any longer.

Shepard's hand reached up and caressed the scarred side of his face. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, brushing it softly across his mouth. 

She let out a soft chuckle, smiling lovingly at him. "I'm always so glad that you're here when I wake up," she said tenderly. 

Garrus met her eyes and gave her an intense stare. He felt his nerves begin to bubble up, and his heart was racing. "I... Kate... I want to be there whenever you wake up. For the rest of our lives."

Her hand went limp in his, and he knew that she knew what he was saying before he could even get out the rest. Her eyes were wide and so full of hope and anticipation that it sent his heart into fitful bursts.

Oh, Spirits, this was it.

"I love you, and I can't imagine spending another minute without you agreeing to be a one-turian kind of woman forever. Would you..." he inhaled sharply, "would you agree to join with me?"

A massive smile broke out on her face and her eyes glazed over and tears began to stream down her face. She leaned forward and brought their foreheads together and sighed, "We're in this until the end, Garrus. I love you."

"So you'll join with me?"

"Did you even need to ask?”


	24. Family Affairs (or: The End for Now)

Hannah Shepard stepped out of the Alliance building into the brilliant Vancouver summer day and sighed, looking down at her watch. Kate had said that she was sending someone to pick her up and they were already ten minutes late. At least she could enjoy the sun; the city had been blessed with a hot, arid summer so far, and she'd be damned if she was going to wait another minute inside the stuffy command building.

She was sitting on one of the steps leading to the building when a young female turian with blue facial tattoos ran up to her, out of breath. 

"Please tell me that you're Hannah Shepard!" the turian gasped. 

Hannah pulled herself to her feet and extended a hand, "I am."

The turian shook her hand vigorously. "Solana Vakarian, ma'am. And I am so, so sorry that I made you wait."

"It's quite all right, Miss Vakarian. I can understand," Hannah chuckled, "I appreciate you coming for me. Kate sounded swamped, so I'm sure she appreciates you helping her out."

Solana shook her head and Hannah saw the turian's mandibles move in what she'd come to interpret as a smile. "She is extremely... um, swamped. Our family have been a bit challenging to deal with and Garrus was called away to handle something on Menae, so Kate's taking it all on now. Thank the Spirits my father got here yesterday to help her put out some of the Vakarian family fires."

Hannah laughed, "I'm glad that they're keeping her on her toes at least. And I'm sure she's grateful for your father's help. Kate can command a battlefield, but dealing with family is a whole other issue."

"I don't envy her, but she's been really handling it all in stride. Oh, speaking of which, I should warn you: my Aunt Tiberia is extremely racist. Kate said that it wouldn't faze you, but I wanted to warn you before we got back. She's been spewing vile comments about Kate, and to Kate, every chance she's had since she arrived, and I think my father may want to remove her head from her neck soon."

"There are always those types in every family."

"Well, Aunt Tiberia was at Shanxi."

"Ah," Hannah breathed, "So this is ..."

"She calls it a blight on the Vakarian name, but no one listens to her anyway. I think the main issue is that everyone is overly-excited. This is so much more than just Kate and Garrus... they're making history! I mean, again."

"Yes, that's true, isn't it? They've been making history since they met, so I suppose that's why Kate thought she could handle this herself, but it sounds like she's a bit in over her head."

"To say the least!" Solana agreed. 

They'd arrived at a sleek black car and it beeped as Solana neared the driver's side. 

"Is this yours?" Hannah asked, her eyebrows raised. 

Solana shook her head. "It's Garrus's. Victus had it shipped to him after the Reaper War and I doubt he's driven it more than twice. I know that he and Kate took it out a few months ago to celebrate after the last relay was successfully reconstructed, but they don't use it much here."

"Neither of them are much for flashy things, are they?"

"Not at all," Solana laughed, maneuvering the car expertly towards the apartment.

****

Tate Vakarian was starting to see Shepard's resolve start to crack. The woman was a force to be reckoned with, sure, but he could tell that she was ready to quit as she poured over data pads and lists of food selections.  

"How are you doing?" he asked, bring her a glass of water. "Any other questions for me?"

Shepard gulped the water down. "Thank you. I'm... okay. This is certainly more confusing than I thought it'd be."

"It's what trail-blazing's all about isn't it?" he chuckled. 

She smiled half-heartedly and rolled her right shoulder, stretching out the arm that was still healing, "I suppose, but I can see why Garrus chose to cut and run. It's overwhelming."

Tate frowned, and his mandibles hit his face with a loud snap! His son had been offworld for only two days at the request of the Primarch, but his absence was heavily felt and noted. 

"These blasted relatives aren't making it any easier, either. I am sorry for that. And I am sorry on my son's behalf, Kate. He should really be here."

Shepard shrugged. "Primarch Victus requested him, so it must be important. And you and Solana have been irreplaceable. I appreciate the help. You both could be doing so much more on Palaven, and you being here to help me through this… well, I’m severely in your debt."

"Your mother will be along shortly, too. I'm sure that, between the four of us, we can figure this all out."

Shepard nodded wearily. She looked at him with a slight touch of fear in her eyes and anxiety in her voice, "All this... hooplah... isn't really how I imagined it. Garrus either, I'm sure. It feels more like duty than anything. Do you... do you think he went to Palaven because he's having second thoughts?"

"No, he went to Palaven because it is his job. Look, Kate, if I can speak freely... if this is not what either of you wants, then why do it? You can do this elsewhere, at another time, or even on your own."

Shepard threw a data pad down onto the table in front of her and leaned back on the sofa. "But so many people have travelled so far to come here and are expecting this... and I'd never live it down with Tiberia if we cancelled everything."

Tate chuckled, "I don't think Tiberia will let you live anything down, ever. You're human."

Kate let out a strangled laugh as the front door slid open and Hannah Shepard and Solana walked in. 

"Mom!" Kate cried, getting up to hug her mother. 

Hannah returned the gesture but then withdrew to examine her daughter. The once-vibrant green eyes were tired and sallow and Kate's complexion was an almost-grey. "Oh, honey. You look like you need a time out."

Kate sighed, "Tell me about it."

"Heard anything from Garrus?" Solana asked. 

"He's still on Menae. Wouldn't tell us what was happening via an open comm line, but he'll be back in a few days," Tate answered. 

"Oh, shit. My manners. Mom, this is Garrus and Solana's father, Captain Tate Vakarian. Tate, my mother, Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard," Kate said, flustered. 

Hannah shook hands with Tate and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. She noticed that he'd given her the same look she often got from most older turians she received. It was the 'how do you really feel about my kind?' look mixed with the 'I wonder if she fought at Shanxi' look. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain Vakarian. I've heard many things about you."

"The pleasure is mine, Rear Admiral Shepard. And, please, call me Tate. I've been retired from C-Sec for many, many years."

"Call me Hannah."

He smiled at her. "Your daughter and I were just discussing if this entire thing is truly necessary."

Solana gasped, "You're not thinking of calling it off are you?"

Kate laughed, "No, of course not!"

"We were mulling over the possibility of something smaller, quieter, and maybe elsewhere," Tate interjected. 

A sly smile came over Solana's face then - Kate caught it, but Hannah did not. "And leave all of our relatives hanging? I'm liking the sound of this."

Hannah gulped. "Don't forget the politicians and diplomats."

Solana let out a burst of laughter, "Even more reason to run away!"

There was a pregnant pause until Kate finally spoke, "We need a plan."

Hannah sighed. She wasn't sure how they were going to get around this one - Kate had never been one to play by the rules, but that was when she was saving the galaxy. This was an entirely different matter. She stared at her daughter, but was pleased to see that it seemed as if some of the weight had lifted off of her shoulders. Hannah straightened up.

"Besides, who wants politicians and diplomats at their wedding anyways?"

*****

Primarch Victus was restless today, Garrus noted. Victus was pacing and kept staring at the door as if he was expecting someone to walk through it at any moment. Garrus shook his head and tried to concentrate on the sitrep of Menae in front of him. They had rebuilt most of the structures on the moon, but Victus needed his expertise on the AA guns that were still in development. 

"Primarch? Sir, are you all right?" Garrus asked finally.

Victus snapped to attention. "What? Oh, yes, Vakarian, I'm all right."

"You seem distracted, sir."

"I suppose I am," Victus murmured, his mandibles flaring in thought.

"Anything I can do to help you?"

"Explain to me again the difference between GARDIAN lasers and..."

"Primarch Victus, Advisor Vakarian, please excuse the interruption, but Commander Shepard is here," a young turian female officer interrupted from the doorway.

"Damn it! It was supposed to be a surprise," Victus snapped at the soldier. She shrunk and he retracted, "My apologies, soldier. Let Shepard through."

Garrus stared incredulously at Victus, who gave him a sheepish look. 

"Uh, surprise?" The Primarch said, shrugging. 

Suddenly, Kate burst through the door and wrapped herself around Garrus in a rare public display of affection. He embraced her back fiercely, reaching down and caressing her face.

"Kate," he breathed, "what are you doing here?"

Shepard pulled back and smiled brightly at him. "I'm just flying around to different rocks and being generally wayward. You know how it is."

"But what about the... uh, the wedding? You were knee-deep in planning when I left."

"Yes, well," she murmured, looking at Victus slyly, "there's been a change of plans."

Victus smiled back at Shepard. 

"A change of plans?" Garrus repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it was your father's idea, really. He could see how overwhelmed I was and he suggested that we have something a bit more private. So, we contacted the Primarch here and he had an idea," Shepard said, her voice almost giddy.

Victus cleared his throat, "I can perform the joining ceremony here, on Menae."

"Here? What? Right now? I... I guess I'll have to change," Garrus said, flabbergasted. 

Shepard threw back her head and laughed at him. "Not right now! Tomorrow. Joker will have the Normandy back then with the... uh, select few that we actually want to witness the ceremony."

Garrus leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, no Aunt Tiberia?"

Shepard punched him in the arm lightly. 

"Tiberia?" Victus asked, "That woman actually agreed to step foot on Earth? You never told me that Tiberia was involved, Vakarian."

Garrus shrugged. "I left it out. I know how much she frightens you. Speaking of which, she won't be very happy knowing that she went to Earth for nothing."

Shepard's mischievous smile got wider. "It won't have been for nothing. We have the ceremony here, then head back to Vancouver where the Council has agreed to throw a banquet gala in our honour. To celebrate our mar... uh, joining."

Victus snorted, "The Council just willingly agreed to that?"

"It took some convincing," Shepard admitted, "and damn, Garrus, your dad is almost as good with words as I am. Between the two of us, the Council never stood a chance."

"I wish I had been there for that," Garrus laughed, "What did you say to them?"

"Well, we not-so-subtly mentioned that it would be a show of support to inter-species relations. And obviously not solely promoting turian-human romantic relationships, but it would help to have their backing to promote inter-species cooperation and integration. Your dad also made this brilliant speech about multi-culturalism and something to do with the economy, and that it would be a ‘bright light in a galaxy where this is still much darkness’. I should have recorded it."

"Ah," Victus said, "hitting them with their own... what's the word? Bat?"

Shepard laughed again. She was in a good mood, Garrus noted, a stark contrast to how she'd been back on Earth planning their original wedding.

"So you presented it as a win-win, then? The Council looks good and you don't have to worry about feeding all of the dextros?" Garrus asked. 

"And we don't have to pay a cent," she beamed, "your father may be some kind of genius."

Garrus snorted, "Right. Never tell him that. You're on board with this, Primarch? Won't the Turian Hierarchy be opposed?"

"That's the thing about you two, Vakarian. No matter where you go, trouble follows. It's a good thing that I know how to put out fires. The thing is, this... uh, marriage... is the first step in REALLY creating change for turian-human cooperation and relations. And, in the end, it makes the Hierarchy and myself look good. So, like you said: win-win," Victus replied. His chest was puffed out in a 'I-pulled-off-the-diplomatic-move-of-the-century' way. 

"I don't know if I've ever seen history in the making like this before," Shepard teased, "I mean, except for Sovereign and Saren, and stopping the Collectors... oh, and saving the galaxy. Guess it won't just be krogan that'll be singing songs about us until the end of time."

Garrus groaned. He wondered how long she'd been saving that one. 

Victus chuckled, "Turians don't really sing. Since you're here, though, I'd like to go over some details with you both for tomorrow."

"But, sir, the AA schematics..." Garrus began. 

"Can wait," Victus cut him off and gave him a glare, "Spirits, Vakarian, you'd think you'd be more invested in your... what's the word again? Oh, yes: wedding."

Shepard laughed, "It doesn't bother me. I get that it isn't as much of an event for turians. And, to be honest, I never thought I'd ever be married... except maybe to my career or the Normandy."

"You'll have to fight Joker for the Normandy," Garrus said.

"He'd lose," came Shepard's deadpan reply.

"I have been trying to familiarize myself with human marriage customs," Victus continued, "Who will be taking the place of your father?"

Shepard crossed her arms and tilted her head. "My mother and Admiral Hackett will be giving me away."

"Giving you away?" Garrus asked, his eyes wide. 

"It's a human expression. I think it's back from the days when marriage was more of a contract thing - it was kind of like 'I'm giving you my daughter for your best pig' or something like that," Shepard explained. 

Two sets of shocked turian eyes stared at her. 

"So, what? I'm supposed to give your mother something in trade? Shit, Shepard, she'll probably want my old Mantis. I don't know if I can part with that gun... even for you," Garrus said, trying his best not to smile. 

She punched him, hard. "Shut it, Vakarian."

"Ah, that reminds me. Will you be changing your name? Human females traditionally take on their partner's last name, no?" Victus asked. 

It was an innocent question, but it hit her straight in the gut. She'd been fielding wedding question for what felt like years now - how had this question never come up? How had she never thought about it? 

Garrus nudged her, "Kate?"

She snapped back to attention. "Is that the norm with turian females, too?"

Victus shrugged. "Usually, though it depends on who the female is marrying. Most turian women don't join or bond with anyone other than turian males, though."

"Well, I... don't know," she answered honestly. If it mattered to Garrus, then of course she'd take on the Vakarian name, but they hadn't talked about it. She looked at him and he smiled at her reassuringly. 

The Primarch looked at them fondly. "You two truly make a great couple. I am honoured to oversee this ceremony."

"And we're honoured to have you perform it, sir," Garrus said, shaking the Primarch's hand. 

"I'll leave you to it, now. See you both tomorrow." Victus bowed out of the room.

Shepard turned to Garrus, "So, surprised?"

"Of course. I... uh, I missed you," he said nervously, entwining her hands in his. 

She stood on her toes and kissed him. "I missed you too, big guy. Are you ready for this?"

"I've been ready since we decided to blow off steam together, Shepard. There's no one else I'd rather do this with. I've followed you into hell more times than I can count, and I did it willingly. Guess that's what love does to a guy like me."

She groaned, "All of the planning was hell. I can't believe I let myself get talked into that! At least we talked our way out of it. Now it can really just be about us."

"So it'll be me and you and Victus tomorrow. And your mom, Hackett, and my dad and sister?"

Shepard shook her head. "Not just them."

"I thought you said it was going to just be about us?"

"And leave our nearest and dearest out of it?" Shepard laughed, "Wrex would never forgive me."

"So just  _how many_ aliens are going to be descending on Menae tomorrow? We should probably warn the troops now."

"Well..." Shepard drew in a deep breath, "Joker and EDI, of course. Tali and Kal'Reegar with the quarian orphan they adopted - Jona, Wrex and his brood, Jacob and Brynn, Miranda and Oriana, Vega and Cortez, Samara, Liara and Feron, and Kaidan."

"That seems like we're a few faces short."

"Those are the people that could get to Menae with 24 hours’ notice. Jack wanted to come, but she's teaching. I couldn't get ahold of Kasumi. I hope she's not stuck in a vault somewhere."

"No Grunt?"

"He's off with Aralakh company in rachni space, but he assured me that he'll make the gala."

"Ah."

"And Solana is bringing someone."

Garrus tried to hide the surprise on his face, but Shepard knew him well enough that she caught it.

"Who?" he asked casually. 

"Remember Nihlus, the Spectre?

"Uh, Kate? He's been dead for years."

She ignored him. "His brother. I can't remember his name."

Garrus stared down at his mate. "Shepard..."

"You might not be able to call me that after tomorrow, you know."

"You're considering taking on the clan Vakarian name? Commander Vakarian... I like it, but I like it for  _me_."

She punched him. His arm was starting to hurt. 

"Ow! Damn, that one hurt."

She crossed her arms and tilted her head at him. "Liar."

There was a slight pause until Shepard finally broke it, "Does it matter to you?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

He moved towards her and put his forehead to hers. "Does any of this really matter? I already know that you're mine and I'm yours - I don't need you to take on the Vakarian name to prove that. We don't need anybody or anything to tell us that this... us... is forever. You're a one-turian kind of woman, remember?"

Shepard let out a satisfied sigh. "I love you, Garrus Vakarian."

"I love you, Kate Shepard. No matter what name you choose to go by. I mean, as long as you don't change it to something like  _Urdnot_." Garrus bent down and pressed his mouth to hers.

Shepard smiled and pulled back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked peaceful and _happy_.

He leaned back and studied her, arms crossed over his chest. 

"How much do you want to bet that Wrex cries tomorrow?" he asked. 

Shepard's green eyes lit up. "Is that a challenge? Do I get extra if he goes Berserker and rushes the stage?"

"Sure, but you lose if Bakara somehow manages to calm him down before he can head butt anyone."

"That's dirty pool, now."

"But you get double if Grunt somehow manages to smuggle ryncol into the gala and defaces some sort of Alliance property."

"I like these stakes. Do shuttles count?"

"Of course."

"You're on," Shepard said, shaking her head at the memory of Grunt's 'birthday' aftermath. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I'm dreading that gala. I'd rather just get through tomorrow, then we can go off to that tropical place you promised me we'd retire to, and we'll practice making turian-human babies, regardless if biology cooperates or not."

"It won't be that bad, Kate. Though I'm tempted."

"Shepard and Vakarian, storming an official gala thrown to honour our union. Sounds like a suicide mission if there ever was one."

He chuckled, "Hah. Just like old times."


End file.
